Unique Challenges to Tackle with a Pop-up Store

Pop-up stores, restaurants and other businesses have become all the rage recently. They’re an excellent marketing tool, as well as being a useful way to test new concepts. If you already own a business, setting up a pop-up is a creative way to spread your message further, and even take your products on the road. Instead of setting up a static pop-up for a number of weeks, you can also have a traveling store that you can set up in different locations. But creating a pop-up comes with its own challenges that you need to address. If you want to use one for your company, make sure you consider issues such as mobile payment and marketing.

 

Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York

Marketing a Pop-up

Even if you use your pop-up to advertise your main business, you need to market the pop-up itself to get people’s attention. Before you set up, you’ll need to get the word out that you’ll soon be in a new location. When you have situated yourself, you’ll still need to direct people toward your temporary home. If you currently sell online only, you may find that you need to use “traditional” marketing methods a bit more, as well as advertising online. Handing out flyers or posting them in people’s mailboxes can be an excellent idea for local ventures. Don’t forget to tell your online customers using social media, your newsletter and other methods. But you should try to reach new audiences too.

Finding a Location

Looking for the right place for your pop-up can be a challenge. Where you go will depend on what sort of store you want to set up. For example, a business such as a restaurant requires specialist facilities so that you’re able to cook and serve food. You might choose to get a temporary lease on a store or to find space to set up in a mall, as part of a market or on the street. You need to check any local regulations that you would need to comply with before you can start your pop-up. It’s also important to consider how people are going to find you, and whether you can rely on a lot of foot traffic.

Pop-up Payment Solutions

One of the challenges of a pop-up store, whether you’re static or mobile, is receiving payments. It can be difficult to find the right payment solution for a temporary venture that can’t set up a permanent payment system. Luckily, there are now lots of ways you can take payments in different manners wherever you are. If you use Payline Data or other payment solutions, you can accept credit cards using your cell phone, a mobile card reader and other systems that make payment easier.

Remember not to start a pop-up just because you can. It’s essential to have a clear purpose before you jump in and set one up. Think about what your goals are and what you want the outcome to be, whether it’s marketing for an online business or to test a new concept.