5 Fantastic Pop-Up Shop Ideas

Pop-up shops are popping up everywhere, as online merchants seek to build their real-world presence and brands look for ways to expand to new markets without the risk, expense, or commitment of traditional brick-and-mortar retail spaces. “Pop-up shops give businesses the opportunity to be creative and think outside the box,” says eposnow.com. “You can create a pop-up shop that truly represents your brand and resonates with your target audience.”

Here are some ways to make the most of your brand’s pop-up experience.

Partner Up & Go Mobile

“Pop-ups don’t have to live in one fixed location,” says sav.com. “If you want to reach a lot of customers quickly, a mobile store might be a great fit for your pop-up event.” That’s the approach taken by Supergoop and Sunscoop for a recent summertime collaboration.

For a limited-time collaboration, Promobile partnered SPF experts Supergoop and up-and-coming ice cream brand Sunscoop for a dual activation centered around putting product samples in consumers’ hands. Vintage-style ice cream trucks created a perfectly authentic summertime vibe surrounded by an exterior footprint with music and custom displays. The mobile pop-up delivered more than 53,000 sunscreen samples and 16,000 ice cream samples in NYC, the Hamptons, Chicago, and LA.

Create a Shareworthy Experience

A pop-up shop created for hair care brand Amika by Promobile featured shower- and bath-themed “rooms” — perfect for a product typically used in the shower or tub — each focused on a single Amika product or collection.

“The interactive elements of pop-up shops can lead to great user generated content opportunities,” sav.com explains. “Customers take photos of your products and share them on social media … promoting the pop-up and your brand as a whole to their followers.”

For the Amika pop-up, the ordinary bathroom was reinvisioned in vivid, saturated colors inspired by Amika’s packaging. Picture a bright blue bathtub in the center of a matching blue bathroom, or a coral-colored shower in a room decked out in shades of orange-pink: the space and its purpose are instantly recognizable, but the presentation is something novel, fun, and memorable. If you’re like the consumers who passed through Amika’s pop-up shop, you’ll be drawn to that room, you’ll take selfies in it, and you’ll share them on social media.

Offer Exclusive Products

To celebrate South Korean music group Blackpink’s new album, Spotify built an immersive multi-day pop-up created by the group’s members. The pop-up featured photo rooms, giveaways, a pink boba bar, and a cube of mirrors, along with a merchandise store offering exclusive items.

“Such exclusivity is a powerful strategy to enhance perceived value and drive fans to events in the first place,” says a Hubspot blog post.

Not every brand is a fit for an international music group, of course — but the concept can work across many industries for launching a new product or offering an exclusive one as a way to draw visitors. An example: Beverage brand Tazo co-hosted an event for Cafe Collective, an organization of independent cafe owners, with actor-producer-entrepreneur Issa Rae. The event, a pop-up at Rae’s Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen in downtown Los Angeles, featured a new beverage curated by Rae — the Tazo Passion Twist — plus swag bags and branded merch giveaways.

Tell a Story to Create an Experience

A popular pop-up trend is the “experience pop-up,” notes an article on eposnow.com. “This concept is about immersing customers in a unique, interactive experience,” which might include virtual reality, DIY workshops, sampling, hands-on displays, or product demonstrations. “By creating an experience that customers can participate in, you can help them engage more deeply with your products and make your pop-up experience more memorable.”

That’s the approach Promobile and broth brand Kettle & Fire took with a pop-up that led visitors on a journey through America’s food system to highlight both its products and its pledge to work toward repairing that system.

Working with Promobile, Kettle & Fire used storytelling as a way to talk to consumers about complex issues around food, from harmful additives to unsustainable agricultural practices. Starting with a free sample of bone broth, guests walked through a six-part journey that concluded with a curated pantry showcasing sustainability-minded brands.

Bring Participants into the Process

Meat alternative brand Meati wanted to know what potential customers thought about their product — so they worked with Promobile to create a mobile focus group — a blind taste test on wheels. Meati’s pop-up/activation hybrid let participants take part in a ranked comparison of Meati’s meat alternatives vs real chicken. In the process, Meati collected tons of honest feedback, some of which helped the brand make future product decisions.

Even if your brand isn’t a fit for a blind taste test, “Pop-up stores can serve as your own way to poll your target customers offline,” says thestorefront.com. “Sell new products alongside your usual inventory and ask for customer feedback on the spot.”

Promobile Marketing is a dynamic experiential marketing agency based in New York City. For over a decade, Promobile Marketing has collaborated with a range of brands—from budding startups to major CPG brands—on immersive marketing campaigns. Get in touch to discuss your next project.