More and more retailers, big and small, are keen for a slice of the pop-up pie. Making an impression is crucial - check out these 5 tips to help you stand out.

The pop-up shop phenomenon is revolutionising the world of retail and capturing the attention of shoppers. In fact, temporary shops are now worth £2.3 billion to the UK economy. More and more retailers, big and small, are keen for a slice of the pop-up pie.

As alternatives to traditional retail outlets, pop-ups are as attractive to business owners as they are to shoppers. With a pop-up shop, you can test out new products before making them widely available. You’ll get to know new customers while strengthening relationships with existing ones. What’s more, if you’re an online retailer who’s branching out, you can experiment with face-to-face selling.

Of course, the challenge is that you only have a very limited period of time in which to make an impression. Thankfully, there are several steps you can take to make a splash.

1. Seek Out Your Target Market

When you’re looking for the best location for your pop-up shop, let your knowledge of your target market guide the search. You need to have two things clear in your mind: the kind of customers you want to attract and the kind of places they’re likely to be found.

As pop-up shops embody spontaneity, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. If you can’t find high street premises, why not open your pop-up shop at a gallery, airport, station, or festival?

2. Shake Things Up!

The most innovative pop-up shops combine creativity with fresh ideas. Opening a pop-up outlet gives you a fantastic opportunity to shake-up the retail industry by bringing your personality, individuality and charm to the shop floor.

Even if you don’t have thousands of pounds to spend, there are plenty of ways to make your mark. Why not decorate the shop with your own photos, helping shoppers get to know you? You might also like to try our funky blackboard stickers, on which you could list special offers or invite customers to give you feedback. Display products in unusual ways – how about using wooden ladders or wall-mounted vintage suitcases instead of shelves?

3. Make it Personal

Make the temporary nature of your shop a selling point by offering customers the chance to buy limited edition merchandise or personalised, one-off products. You’ll create a buzz around your pop-up shop, encourage shoppers to step inside and increase sales.

Personal touches make shopping more memorable and enjoyable. For instance, if you make jewellery, why not create unique necklaces using beads selected by your customers?

4. Encourage Shoppers to Share Experiences

Social media can be a wonderful marketing tool for pop-up outlets, especially when budgets for advertising and other traditional forms of promotion are tight.

When planning your pop-up shop, drum-up interest by posting product previews on Twitter, Facebook and similar websites.

When the shop opens, draw attention to your social media profiles on the shop floor. Invite customers to upload photos of their purchases and share their experiences online.

5. Help Your Shop Stand Out

If your shop is a pop-up, it doesn’t make commercial sense to invest a considerable amount of time, effort and money in fitting traditional shop signage. At the same time, you want to ensure that the shop attracts the attention of your target market.

That’s why temporary signs for windows, doors and walls are ideal for pop-up shops. At Brume, we offer tailor-made adhesive text and graphics. Shop names, special offers, product silhouettes, website addresses, hashtags and much more can be turned into easy-to-fit signage.

Your pop-up shop may be temporary but high-quality signage will help it to make a lasting impression.