3 Must Know Retail Marketing Trends for Pop Up Stores

Pop-up stores are the newest and hippest trend to hit the retail sector in recent years. Every brand from Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. to UGG and especially season-specific stores such as Halloween shops have established small, often temporary, storefronts without having any previous brick-and-mortar location or even retail experience. This trend has become so large that businesses such as Storefront have come onto the scene, offering established brands and startups the opportunity to secure temporary space for setting up shop.

There are numerous benefits to this miniature approach to getting the word out and items in consumers’ hands. According to Inquisitor, pop-ups function as an excellent means for big-time retailers and smaller merchants to market their products, services and identities, without demanding that these businesses invest millions or settle on rental agreements. More importantly, however, these tiny, part-time shops allow brands to test the offline waters and local communities.

With a grass-roots operation comes a need for a grass-roots marketing strategy. After all, pop-up stores appear out of nowhere. So, if these businesses want customers, they need to get the word out quickly and efficiently.

Here are some marketing trends that can help pop-up stores become consumer favorites and, hopefully, local mainstays.

1. Go Social
It might seem like a no-brainer, but pop-up shops need to let consumers know where they will be and when, and that’s where social media comes in. These businesses need to create a Twitter page, a Facebook site and a Pinterest account to start spreading the brand around in the digital sphere. In this regard, there isn’t a pressing need to stay local, as other customers from disparate areas will still retweet and “pin” products and messages that resonate with them.

2. Hit the Ground Running with Print Marketing Materials
Local communities play a large role in the success of a pop-up store. So while social media plays a big part, the ability to market in area neighborhoods will make or break these businesses.

Store owners can send employees out with posters, business cards, flyers and other branded merchandise to pass out, hang up and generate positive local buzz. Better yet, put a coupon on flyers or give out free items if customers come in with those print marketing materials. That extra incentive to check out a pop-up store will guarantee that lines get long and the good word spreads.

3. Remain Consistent
Consistent marketing is key for all types of retailers, but perhaps more so for pop-up stores, even if they don’t already have a popular identity. For example, businesses that travel to major cities and states must ensure their marketing materials are always available and convey a similar brand message through tours. In that regard, storing these posters, business cards and flyers on a digital content distribution platform guarantees that all employees and managers can access the same documents and have them printed and delivered around the world.

At the end of the day, pop-up stores are the cutting-edge of retail, and if brands fail to experiment with these new practices, they could lose touch with their customer base.

Track 500 Packages in a Glance

Mimeo retail customers who place an order shipping to multiple locations can now leverage Mimeo Tracking, providing instant visibility into the status of all of your packages, all on one screen. Learn how here.