Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran to pop up shops, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some tried-and-true pop up shop ideas designed to be authentic to you and your brand.
Tip #1: Brand Yourself
If you already have an established brand, you’re halfway there. Building the theme of your pop up from your established brand is essential, whether on your social media channels, in your selection of products, or elsewhere. If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a quick and easy trick: theme your pop up shop on the season at hand. Major fashion lines commonly echo the seasons in their visual identities, and it’s also effective for pop up shops!
Tip #2: Think Outside The Box
Once you nail down your theme, it’s time to start thinking outside the box without getting too carried away. On the topic of the season, how can you communicate summer, fall, winter, or spring without coming across as garish or kitschy? You don’t have to overdo it with flowers, pastels, and Easter bunnies. Strip the idea of spring to its essence! Bright, verdant color schemes and tasteful indoor foliage can do the trick. Aim to keep your presentation fresh and new while honoring your original pop up shop idea.
Tip #3: Do What You Do Best
Whether you love bold, large-scale displays or tasteful negative space, use what you have to your advantage. “Bold” doesn’t have to mean cluttered displays and glaring color schemes, and “minimalist” doesn’t have to mean a near-empty space with nonfunctional furniture. Whatever your pop up shop style, find a way to use it effectively.
For instance, the Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana is known for its regal and ornate aesthetic. The brand creates pieces reminiscent of the garb worn by English monarchs, evoking the extravagance of the Baroque period. Their window displays have become a staple of any Dolce & Gabbana boutique; they’re practically works of art on their own.
On the other hand, one of our favorite trunk show brands and brands to pop up with, Stoffa, is a minimalistic and muted apparel company that placed their simple, double-slashed white logo across the front window of their pop up store. Clean while still being eye-catching to passersby, their logo drew new clients who wanted to know more about the shop. Whether your pop up shop ideas lean minimalist or maximalist, always cultivate a sense of curiosity about your brand.
No matter your pop up shop style, make sure your approach is authentic to your brand. If it isn’t, toss it. If it is, boldly use it to its full advantage!
Tip #4: Tell People Who You Are
You want new clientele to remember the experience you’ve cultivated, not forget it as soon as they walk away. Always aim to leave a lasting impression that makes someone want to follow you on Instagram, seek out your website, return to your location, and hopefully tell their friends. Exposure is how brands survive in an oversaturated landscape, so be sure to name yourself, make your social media handles prominent, provide business cards, and engage with customers verbally about your brand. Whatever you do, focus on making sure your clients know and feel that your pop up shop is something to remember. That way, you’ll turn a pedestrian into a follower — and a dedicated customer!
Tip #5: Display Your Products Well
Always organize your products by group: color, silhouette, price, theme, style… anything relevant, really! Get creative: develop your own system that works best for you based on the products you’re selling and what items you want to draw the most attention to. Feel free to get creative and group random objects that share a color scheme. Let your personal style shine without it becoming too obtrusive!
More than anything, try to create an alternate reality that people will want to exist in. You want your customers to visualize themselves living in your brand and owning your products. Make your pop up shop aesthetically beautiful so the customer will want to bring a piece of it home.
Putting It All Together
While putting these pop up shop ideas and tips into practice, don’t forget the big picture: your pop up shop needs to look great as a whole. Take a step back and enter the space with fresh eyes as any customer would. Make sure there’s visual integrity to your space. The details are important, but the overall look of the pop up shop is what draws your customer in.
Parasol Projects is the premier NYC pop up agency, running a variety of dedicated, proprietary pop up shop locations in the heart of New York’s downtown shopping and arts districts. Parasol’s expert pop up production services include buildouts, merchandising, furniture rental, pop up shop ideas, and more, all designed to make your pop up bring your brand to life and to give you a seamless experience. Rent your NYC pop up today!
Pop Up Shop Ideas & Resources
- What Can A Pop Up Shop Do For Your Brand?
- How Much Does A Pop Up Shop Cost – 4 Budget Tips
- How To Have A Pop Up Shop in 5 Easy Steps
- The 5 Best Places To Pop Up In NYC
- Pop Up Stories: Pop Ups, A New Kind of Business Model for PR