Growing your boutique with pop-ups and events is an effective strategy. In this article, we will show you how to maximize pop-ups and events to grow your boutique brand faster and more effectively. Let’s drive more foot and e-commerce traffic post-event, and grow your retail CLV in the process!
Whether you’re new to setting up at vendor events and pop-ups, hosting Holiday pop-ups, attend trade shows, or are a seasoned veteran with booths and events at multiple fairs and festivals year-round, let’s make sure you are using the latest retail display and merchandising tips and event marketing strategies to get the most out of your experience.
We can no longer just hope that someone will walk by our vendor booth and find what they love, instead, it’s up to us to leverage and maximize the tools of social media, text, email, paid ads and events to drive traffic before, during and after each pop-up or event we set up at.
Here are 5 keys to maximizing your next pop-up experience!
1. Grow Your Boutique Business By Creating & Maximizing Facebook Events
Whether you are hosting your own pop-up or setting up a booth at a local fair or festival, using Facebook Events are a great tool to alert your customers and potential customers on where you’ll be set up, to capture their information and keep them updated on daily deals and specials at the show.
But what most don’t realize, is that Facebook Events are a powerful tool that keeps working year after year. If you’ve created a Facebook Event for past events, you can automatically invite all of those past attendees into your new event, or you can create a Facebook Ads Custom Audience with the event, so you have a very targeted audience to reach out to for the upcoming pop-up.
Then, in your post-event marketing, you can keep your ‘guests’ up to date on how to keep in touch with you to shop year-round.
2. Make Merchandising Memorable
Think like your customer! Have you ever walked by a booth, and thought wow, that’s cute, but you didn’t see the name of the boutique or store anywhere?
Or felt intimidated to enter the booth space because it was like a cattle corral with only one way in and out?
These are such small details that can go overlooked by vendors, but the minor details that make all of the merchandising difference in whether a customer shops with you or not.
Make sure your booth has great lighting, a wandering path in and out where shoppers don’t feel ‘trapped’, your business has a bold sign that can be easily spotted, along with a landmark that allows you to be easily recognized among the other booths.
3. Let the Light Shine
Is your space well lit, or does it feel dark and a little dreary? Bright fun atmospheres bring out the best in your products and a lively shopping mood, so bring extra lighting to highlight key focal points, dark areas, signage and to boost the mood!
Add in music, a nice scent, and other sensory items that complete your overall brand aesthetic in your pop up space!
4. Create Loss Leaders
Besides your adorable merchandising, what show specials are you offering to help stop lookers as they walk by your booth?
Remember that measuring your ROI when setting up is not just gross sales, but it’s also leads captured and new customer acquisition. So, provide opportunities for new customers to test out your business, allowing you to wow and retain them as time goes on.
Create deals of the day, gift bundles, a show special of the day and easy grab and go items to make the first purchase with you a no brainer!
5. Segment Your Email List
Is this a show you’ve been to before? Do you have regular pop up customers? Or do you currently have an email list that would be interested in attending this show?
Take time ahead of the show to make a plan for segmenting your email list for locals to that show, past attendees, and a plan to ‘tag’ the new attendees and customers you meet at this event.
Following the show, send out a post-show email thanking everyone for coming, announcing any giveaway winners, and introducing your brand and mission to anyone who may be new to your list!
Maximize pop-ups and events for your boutique, brand or retail business!
Want 50+ more strategies for maximizing your vendor events and pop-ups?
We created a free guide for you to use all year long, with 50+ strategies for getting more out of your pop-ups and vendor event setups!
Would you also like to see photos of booths taken at recent vendor events around the world?
Take a look inside of our Facebook Groups for members at The Boutique Hub. We’ve hosted several threads on the topic to inspire your next pop up booth merchandised layout! Join The Boutique Hub here.
Wishing you the best of luck at your next pop up, you’ll be prepared!
Looking for more business building tips and tools just for the retail industry, whether you’re a boutique, wholesale brand or go-getter? Join our list of 10,000+ industry insiders here.