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What is a pop-up shop?

A pop-up shop is temporary retail space used by one or multiple brands (shop share) to test new concepts, formats and markets in an innovative and original way without heavy investment.

Pop-up shops, by their ephemeral nature, encourage purchases through the FOMO (fear of missing out) effect. It is also now part of a strategy used by bigger brands to test a market or try new concepts. For pure play retailers it can directly connect them with their customers in order to engage or provide relevant research information and greater brand awareness.

The short-term retail concept is changing the traditional ways we shop.
Pop-up shops have become increasingly common as brands and retailers look to create new ways to heighten the brick and mortar arm of their operations. With the current demand for new retail concepts the property market is becoming more flexible through the use of technology, which enables brands to connect to landlords much faster than ever before and enable them to try short-term rents which is something that only started to happen in the last decade and is starting to go mainstream.

We Are Pop Up has created an easy process for brands to find and test spaces and for landlords to find tenants. It is the world’s largest network of retailers, landlords and brands collaborating on creative retail experiences through one platform. Known as the airbnb of retail, it is a booking platform for short-term retail spaces. Brands can also collaborate with each other to create retail experiences through brand-to-brand messaging and ShopShare.

Regardless of how successful a brand is online, nothing can replace the physical experience coupled with human interaction; pop-ups are here to stay and ultimately it will become a movement which will change the way retailers and property owners consider space, making it easier for businesses to utilise vacant spaces and create concepts never seen before.

Five Reasons to go Pop-up

It’s a scary question for all brands just starting out, “What’s next?” You’ve had a successful run with online sales but it’s time to think about expanding and growing. Then the headaches come. “How much will rent be?” “Can I afford a place with a large footfall?” “What if I pick the wrong neighbourhood?” There are a million ways to go wrong and run your successful business into the ground. A pop-up shop is a great way to expand your business!

What are the benefits to doing a pop-up shop?

Save rent money – Pop-ups allow you to rent out a space for a temporary period of time, saving you money by not being locked into a contract. With a cheaper rent, you’re able to spend your budget on creating a unique experience for your customers. Both brand and landlord can benefit from a pop-up store. Filling a location that isn’t making the landlord any money can be very helpful while they look for a more permanent resident.
Test out different locations/New variety of customers – Not all neighbourhoods are created equally. Researching locations and neighbourhoods is always helpful but sometimes reality doesn’t reflect the google description. Your hipster brand most likely won’t fit in too well in the family oriented neighbourhood. Aren’t you glad you only rented the venue for the weekend! What better way to test the perfect location than to experience it first-hand?
Shop sharing – For those brands that don’t need a full space, shop sharing can be a great option. If you have a small amount of inventory, a few shelves or a corner of a store is more than enough space. Shop sharing can also expand your customer base by introducing your brand to people who are already shopping in your shop share location. You may also find the perfect brand pairing. Your wine tastings may be just what the customers in a specialty olive oil shop are missing. Pairing brands can help you find synergy with other companies and could lead to future projects together. Shop sharing is also great because you have built-in employees. Being present in the store every day isn’t always a feasible option, but through shop sharing there is someone ready to run the store.
The Dry Goods Store London, UK
Meet customers in person – Emailing can only get you so far when it comes to getting to know your customers personally. There’s value for brand owners to have face to face interaction with customers and allowing those customers to interact with the products in a way they can’t experience online. In store shopping is all about the human experience. Ninety-four percent of total retail sales are still generated in brick-and-mortar stores and having a physical presence could help drive business to your online store. It’s a great way to market and advertise your online business in a simpler and less expensive way than online advertising.
TopShop pop-up from Covalent Marketing
Create an urgency – What makes you click “order cart” faster than seeing the sale ends at midnight or the store is almost out of stock? A temporary shop creates that same urgency to purchase or attend. Nothing is more exclusive or sells tickets faster than having a supper club available for just one night. Customers are experiencing a once in a lifetime event and creating that fear of missing out is sure to bring crowds.

Wondering how to get started? We Are Pop Up provides the ability to book full locations, shop share locations, and enables brand-to-brand communication. Register your brand or location at www.wearepopup.com and get started on the pop-up of your dreams!

How to do more business with ShopShare – for brands

Retail is changing – appear on the high street quickly and easily with ShopShare from We Are Pop Up.

At We Are Pop Up, our mission is to help independent retail thrive by thinking differently about the possibilities of space. In talking to our users we realised that we could do more to help smaller brands that wanted to test concepts in the market without committing to rent an entire shop.

That’s why we’ve launched ShopShare. ShopShare enables brands, spaces and customers to join forces in a collaboration that is mutually beneficial and co-create the high street of the future.

So, what is Shop Share?

It’s an opportunity for you as a business to rent out part of an established shop – from a rail, a table, a shelf or a concession to the whole shop. Exactly as the name suggests – share a shop!

The Dandy Lab x BBSC ShopShare at 9 Earlham Street in Covent Garden. The pop up was such a success it was featured in GQ Magazine’s top 4 menswear pop ups for the festive season. Read about The Dandy Lab’s current ShopShare here and see their listing here.

Why should I ShopShare?

For brands, ShopShare gives you a way to quickly and easily take on a concession space in an existing shop, or even to pop up in a ‘micro-department store’.

Test your product or concept in an up-and-running shop, at low cost and low risk. It’s entirely flexible – book a prestigious space for a short period or an emerging space for a longer stay, and if it’s going well, you can easily extend the booking.

Once you’re there, you’ll benefit from your host’s customer base, retail experience and network, and the partnership between your brands will offer your respective customers an exciting and unique experience.

“It injects a sense of excitement and change, which customers really react well to. We learn from every brand that is in store and it can be the start of a longer partnership”.

– Irena Gordon, Glassworks Shoreditch (read more about it here)

Glassworks in Shoreditch has hosted over 16 brands including Cru, Suite Hazen, Urbiana, Be Snazzy and Rose Rankin. See their ShopShare listings here.

Finding a suitable space is quick and easy through our open, flexible and fast system at wearepopup.com. A hassle-free experience, you won’t have to deal with agents – We Are Pop Up connects you directly to suitable spaces seeking brands to share their shop. You can find and book the perfect retail space in minutes not weeks and with our simple, transparent pricing there are no hidden fees.

ShopShare also allows you to pool resources and extend reach by accessing your respective customers. When McQueens florists ran a ShopShare pop up with Black Vanilla gelato, the motivation was clear according to Operations Manager Michi Kanatschnig:

“We have been embracing social media and are keen to develop our online presence further and saw a pop up collaboration as a very good way to engage in cross brand promotion.”

Customers enjoy the McQueen’s Florists x Black Vanilla Gelato ShopShare, which was featured in Stylist, The Sunday Times, Telegraph and You Magazine. Read more about it here).

How do I use it?

Search our extensive range of ShopShare locations across the UK and mainland Europe on We Are Pop Up today and connect with them directly to agree dates and book the space. You can rent a space by the day, week or month. And if it’s going well it’s easy to extend the booking. All our rental agreements are underpinned by commercial-grade contracts so both parties are protected, making ShopShare a risk-free way to test new concepts quickly on the high street.

Start doing more business with We Are Pop Up’s ShopShare today.