Pop-up shops are ideal for new business startups to use as a tool for brand activation, getting their name and products or services known with a small amount of investment in a relatively small space of time. They're also a great way for established brands to test the market response to a new product or service.

Like pop up shops, pop up events create a temporary retail space that is shared between multiple retailers from the same field, allowing business owners to capitalise on the "get-it-while-it-lasts" buzz that this retail style creates. These popup events often centre around a holiday, a novel theme or concept to create a comprehensive customer experience.

It is also a fantastic way for a business to begin transitioning from online-only to a more physical presence in stores.

Positive results from pop-up ventures can be used persuasively when approaching stockists or applying for a permanent lease. Pop up shops, also referred to as flash retail, create greater consumer engagement and help to quickly build direct knowledge of your customer's preferences.

Where ecommerce doesn't allow for tactile product assessment or direct discussions, pop up stores allow your online customers to experience your business in a physical environment and ask questions.

To make hosting multiple pop-up shops and events as convenient as possible, consider using flat pack point of sale products for your pop up displays (see below for examples of these). Not only are these lightweight and easy to transport and construct, we can also add bespoke printing and branding to them on request, giving you comprehensive branding at your pop up point of sale.

Branding couldn't be more important for your pop up shop, as you only have a short space of time to get your brand fixed in the minds of your visitors. Our garment rails are also ideal for pop up clothing shops as they are supplied unassembled and are easy to slot together. We have options for multi-arm clothing display stands as well as for wheeled clothes rails.

What are the best pop up shop display stands?

Gridwall is the perfect choice for business that regularly transport between pop-up locations and various events, due to its highly versatile construction. With just a few assorted fixing components, you can construct a gridwall display stand that is fully reconfigurable to allow for freestanding on feet, wall mounting, or for displaying on a wheeled stand. We also supply a wide range of merchandising hooks, shelves and event garment rails that are compatible with our gridwall panels, allowing retailers to change their displays to suit whatever products they are currently promoting. Check out our Gridwall Buying Guide for further details on the available gridwall kits, along with any required components.

Incentivise engagement

Consider offering free samples to encourage engagement with your brand. Many people visit pop-up shops and events purely to experience the environment and to take advantage of "Instagrammable" moments and displays. You can circumvent the risk of not making any profits by interacting with new customers in other ways.

Always make sure your social media handles and relevant hashtags are displayed clearly at your pop up shop or event, and display business cards and leaflets for people to take away. Even if you don't make any sales, you can take advantage of the social capital created from people discussing your brand and posting about it on social media channels such as Twitter and Instagram.