We asked our community what their best advice was for setting up shop. Here’s what they said...
1. Know your location – Holly Allenby, Founder, The Acey
"Spend some time in the area you're considering setting up shop, grab a coffee and observe the footfall at different times in the day. I always like to make The-Acey's pop up shops more of a community space so understanding the local audience is paramount. It also prepares you in terms of expectations, there's nothing worse than not understanding the area you're in."
2. Timing is everything – Katie Rose, Founder, The Bridge Co.
"Marketing – and timing your marketing – is hugely important. Remember that phrase 'build it and they will come'? Well, they won't unless you tell people about it with good notice, and keeping telling them about it. Use social media to generate buzz ahead of launch, get listed in some key magazines, newspapers, and newsletters, and plan an opening event for a mixture of the press, your network, friends and customers. You can also use flyposting and flyering surrounding coffee shops, businesses and residents to gain brand visibility outside of your shop space."
3. Embrace the experience – Justin Martin, Founder, Nanabar
"Don't treat your pop-up like a pop-up. Embrace the temporality, rather than fearing it, and focus on providing an immersive experience for your guests."
4. Quality not quantity – Lily Russo, Founder, Beach Flamingo
"Choosing your location is key. In London there are so many areas that have a very high footfall, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be your target customer. Sometimes quality over quantity can mean choosing an area that isn’t as busy but that has your target customer who is looking for what you sell – resulting in a much higher conversion."
5. Do it differently – Johannes Quodt, Co-founder, KOIO Collective
“Try to make the most out of the space. Use it for as many activations as possible that make sense for your brand. Try to create an experience that people want to tell their friends about. Do something that’s a little bit different from what others do.”
6. Partner up – Sarah Beckett, Co-Founder, Birdsong
"Our best bit of advice would be: partnering with other brands who have a similar ethos and target audience can be a really useful way of getting more people through your door and reaching out to people beyond your immediate audience. It can also be a really good way of sharing the cost of your space."
7. Meet the neighbours – Rosa Hirsch-Holland, Founder, Rosa Bloom
"When selecting a space, don't underestimate the importance of assessing the footfall. If you are relying on organic footfall (people stepping in off the street because they are walking past) then do some careful research about the level of footfall, and the customer demographic in the area. This is usually best done by visiting the location yourself and also talking to neighbouring shops."
"If you are planning to promote the pop-up to your existing customers, make sure you select a location that is easy for people to reach, and is somewhere your customer demographic would be drawn to visit. This doesn't necessarily mean going for a central London location, but doing careful research into the neighbourhood that is most on brand for you."
