How To Set Up a Print on Demand Pop-Up Shop in 2024

Marina Vasilyeva, Client Manager in Multi-Programming Solutions  •  7 min read

In today’s digital era, e-commerce offers entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to market their products, make a brand recognizable to a broader audience and expand their sales internationally. Still, physical presence remains crucial for achieving success in local markets and establishing deeper connections with loyal clients. While not every business owner can afford to open a brick-and-mortar POD store in Europe, they can consider an alternative way to interact with consumers and test market demand. 

Pop-up print shops will help showcase personalized products and improve customer experience without maintaining a permanent store. These setups are cost-effective and efficient, and they are becoming a wise strategic move in omnichannel sales for small businesses looking to increase their brand visibility and drive sales.

In this guide, we’ll describe in detail how to launch a pop-up shop, what type will better suit your needs and which best practices to learn for your inspiration.

Table of Content

What is a pop-up shop?

Benefits of Pop-Up Shops and Reasons Why You Should Run One

Types of pop-up shops

Step-by-step guide to launching POD pop-up shop

5 Creative Examples of E-Commerce Pop-Up Shops

Conclusion

What is a pop-up shop?

Imagine organizing a temporary retail space in diverse locations such as large malls, land-based stores, or outdoor markets for a limited period and presenting your original stuff to everyone interested. That's precisely what a print on demand pop-up store is. It can appear in various formats like booths, kiosks, or standalone showrooms, offering companies flexibility and allowing them to experiment with the assortment and service perks without registering a permanent land-based selling location.

Printers often open such temporary setups in response to fast-paced trends and seasonal demand or to test how the audience reacts to the new product line (or an additional service). Starting a pop-up shop is incredibly beneficial for emerging POD brands seeking offline experiences that may help enhance their online presence. Using a chance to engage directly with potential buyers can positively impact your sales volumes, strengthen relationships with loyal clients and attract new ones.

Pop-up shop set-up ideas can be implemented both physically and virtually. Each format is focused on a specific target audience and aims to create immersive shopping experiences that permanent stores can't guarantee. A limited sales period adds uniqueness to such offers, increasing clients’ interest and contributing to their decision-making.

How much does it cost to do a pop-up shop? Expenses may vary significantly depending on the location and the size of an occupying space. Typically, you’ll have to invest much less money than opening and maintaining a traditional store. Such affordability and other vital advantages make temporary shops attractive for POD businesses seeking innovative methods to generate more traffic and start market expansion.

Benefits of Pop-Up Shops and Reasons Why You Should Run One

Opening a pop-up shop offers more than a retail space where you can sell your stuff without shipping challenges. Such brand locations benefit entrepreneurs in several ways, supporting their further development and building new fundamentals for scaling. Here are five compelling reasons why you should seriously consider any ideas for pop-up shops:

1. Direct interaction with your target audience. While online purchases offer enhanced convenience for buyers, they still need a more personal touch, which land-based kiosks can compensate for. A pop-up shop allows customers to examine your printed products firsthand and give you valuable feedback on possible improvements. This approach helps build trust with your clients and better understand their preferences. 
2. Simplifying customer education. Some items require additional user explanations that online stores can only partially provide. Make a pop-up store to demonstrate incorporated features and describe the brand's philosophy in real time. This live performance can better showcase your product's value and destroy any doubts of the potential buyers. 
3. Rising awareness. Your temporary store creates a feeling of urgency and exclusivity among consumers. Limited offerings generate excitement and inspire people to visit your location before you move on. This buzz becomes even more effective when you announce new products or promote special campaigns (e.g., dictated by the holiday calendar 2024).
4. Making first steps towards possible permanent storefront. If your development strategy includes launching a physical store in the future, consider pop-up shop ideas for small businesses as a valuable testing ground for further expansion. With minimum initial investments, you'll be able to explore the benefits and challenges of brick-and-mortar selling locations, analyze critical points of customer behaviour and validate your business plan and profitability.
5. Increasing profit on seasonal events. Usually, holiday Eve brings increased consumer spending. Set up a pop-up store so you do not miss a chance to capitalize on growing demands and promote your POD product range to a broader crowd. New customers who will occur these days may continue to engage with your brand even after the pop-up ends.

Now you know what an online pop-up shop is. These temporary setups offer an effective strategy for modern printing companies looking to strengthen their market positions, test product viability, and gain revenue on holiday trends. By wisely utilising such shops, you can improve your online and offline presence, drive sales, and prepare for future growth.

Types of pop-up shops

Before questioning how to start a pop-up shop, you should know that temporary selling locations can come in a decent variety. Each of them is tailored to specific business goals and strategies. Look through the list to determine which option perfectly suits your needs. Here are some key examples:

• Marketing events. Being a small component of a broader business strategy, such pop-ups often appear to promote the release of a new product (e.g. a clothing line), introduce new concepts after rebranding or announce the company's debut on the market. 
• Seasonal stores. Peak shopping periods, like Christmas Eve, are perfect for capitalizing on themed printed products and creating brand awareness with your exceptional service. Motivate clients to buy your stuff with polite communication and a unique holiday atmosphere.
• Experimental pop-ups. These stores allow business owners to test the popularity of a new item, printed design or business concept before committing to larger sales volumes. You can also launch this shop when exploring other markets and gathering valuable insights from local consumers. 
• Virtual destinations. Suppose you have no physical pop-up shop set-up ideas or opportunities to run them. In that case, you can always organize a digital environment where buyers will familiarise themselves with your assortment, interact with items, and learn the brand's history online. A 360-degree experience and an in-person approach differentiate virtual stores from traditional websites.
• Shop-in-shops. You may simply occupy (for a fixed fee) a free space inside the existing land-based store and showcase your custom goods there. Here, you’ll receive a part of other entrepreneurs’ traffic without the full costs of renting a standalone location.

Choosing the right type among the described examples of pop-up shops depends on your business goals, target audience, and desired impact on the market. Each option is aimed to enhance brand popularity, boost sales, and develop within the retail landscape.

Step-by-step guide to launching POD pop-up shop 

Every new business start or concept implementation requires careful preparations. When considering how to open a pop-up shop, there are several essential steps to follow. Here’s a comprehensive guide you can leverage for the upcoming fall season.

Choose a space

Selecting the right place to run your temporary sales is crucial for your brand’s success. Select the variant carefully, whether it's a vacant storefront, a space in a shopping centre, or even a mobile pop-up store idea like a bus. You may seek help from retail agents, local networking, or find what you need in apps like IzyRent. Determine all the possible costs and learn what amenities are included in the space.

Pick a location

Conduct thorough market research to define the best location based on accessibility, foot traffic statistics, target demographics, and prices. Consider the shop’s goals, rent affordability, and the suitability of the chosen place for your target customers. For example, central streets and large malls may be the best idea if you sell fashion clothes.

Decide on shop type and its design

Your interior and exterior should match the brand identity and assortment. Consider making your concept store in corporate colours, adding logos to signboards or walls, providing adequate stock space, convenient product categorization, and anti-theft measures. Also, it would be a great advantage if an accessible parking place were located near your store.

Prepare the necessary documents 

How do you start an online pop-up shop without valid permission? You may require special licenses or insurance depending on your location and business type. It would be better to consult with local commercial authorities to ensure your products comply with legal requirements.

Rent your space 

You may find realtors to book a place for merch or use online platforms like We Are Pop Up, Appear Here, or Uppercase to choose a venue. You’ll be asked to sign an agreement, so review it thoroughly. It outlines factors like allowed adjustments, working hours, and other essential details. 

Market your retailing place

What else do you need for a pop-up shop? Announce your grand opening and attract the public by collaborating with local companies for cross-promotion, utilizing word-of-mouth advertisements, and providing your own campaigns via social media and email notifications. Collect users’ contacts during pop-up events to continue interacting with them later.

Measure efficiency

Analyze your shop's success by generating reports on sales volumes, foot traffic, and overall customer experience. Conclude whether your temporary store achieved business goals and consider its overall impact on the company’s performance.

5 Creative Examples of E-Commerce Pop-Up Shops

If you understand how temporary locations can benefit sales but don’t know where to find inspiration, here are the five best pop-up shop examples that may help you build a smart strategy.

1. Warby Parker

Originally an online eyewear seller, Warby Parker organized multiple physical pop-up shops, including a fantastic start on a bus. This experiment has gained unbelievable success, and now the company owns over 230 retail stores with plans for further expansion (around 40 branches in 2024). Warby Parker's strategy allowed the brand to test markets and communicate directly with clients, combining the convenience of online deals with personalized in-store experiences.

2. Pop Up Grocer

The company has revolutionized shopping with its innovative approach to sales. Emily Schildt, the business owner, started a 10-day selling marathon in Manhattan, which has evolved into a travelling grocery shop, spending 30 days in each city it arrives in. Pop Up Grocer focuses on new, creative, eco-friendly products, creates a community atmosphere and promotes ethical consumer experiences.

3. Glossier

Being an already popular customer-centric beauty website, Glossier also questioned how to do a pop-up shop and launched one in London's Covent Garden in 2019. This event attracted over 100,000 visitors in just 2,5 months. The branded temporary store popularity became so undoubtful that the company set a permanent location which accepts thousands of customers every week.

4. BarkShop

An e-commerce brand specializing in dog toys and treats, BarkShop created a memorable pop-up location in New York City, allowing dogs to choose their own toys. With a modest price of $30 per session, the company profited from happy pets and their owners and strengthened its customer relationships through interactive and engaging experiences. BarkShop practice is a perfect example of how to set up a pop-up shop appealing to the target audience.

5. Depop

A fashion marketplace platform extended its online presence with Depop Live, a special event that brought together buyers, sellers, and fashion fans. Focused on fostering community engagement and encouraging creativity, Depop Live featured panel discussions and workshops dedicated to fashion trends and sustainability questions. With its pop-up shop display ideas, the brand strengthened its identity and loyalty among Millennial and Gen Z buyers and ensured online sales growth.

These examples illustrate how temporary stores can positively impact your company's development. Each approach reflects a unique understanding of client’s needs and behaviours, turning short offline interactions into lasting online sales.

Conclusion

In this small pop-up shop guide, we highlighted exciting opportunities print-on-demand entrepreneurs have for expanding their online presence, driving sales and increasing the brand’s visibility in 2024. These temporary retail spaces facilitate direct customer communication and engagement, enhance business recognition and serve as invaluable testing grounds for introducing new products and exploring other markets. 

With pop-up shops' flexibility and cost-effectiveness, POD companies can innovate rapidly, respond to seasonal demand, and empower their physical and digital presence. Get inspiration from the world’s best practices and build a solid foundation for further scaling. If you want to learn more about improving your online presence and streamlining daily workflows, read about shop integration, which will make your POD business work like a clock.