Pop-up shops have been around since Vienna’s December market in 1298. Europe’s festive Christmas markets followed. So did traveling bazaars, holiday costume stands, and street-side food stalls.
Wherever there’s been demand for short bursts of retail, pop-ups have popped up—then disappeared just as quickly.
And in 2025, pop-up shops are a full-blown industry.
The global pop-up retail market is projected to reach $95 billion in 2025, driven by consumer demand for experiential marketing, DTC expansion into physical spaces, and Gen Z’s preference for in-person shopping.
Ahead, we’ll walk you through everything you need to launch your own pop-up shop in 2025: what it is, why it works, a step-by-step setup guide, and real-world examples from brands making it work.
What is a pop-up shop?
A pop-up shop is a type of retail store that opens for a limited time in a specific location, like an empty retail space, an existing physical store, or a food or art market. Pop-ups can take many forms, including booths, kiosks, or compact freestanding stores.
The modern pop-up shop as we know it today traces back to 1997 Los Angeles. That’s when creative director Patrick Courrielche launched the Ritual Expo, a one-day event dubbed the “ultimate hipster mall.”
The pop-up concept, also known as flash retailing, is an ideal opportunity for emerging, digitally native brands to try new and unique shopping experiences that online platforms can’t replicate. Importantly, with a pop-up, you don’t have to take on the financial risk and commitment of a permanent storefront to participate in brick-and-mortar retail— because you’re simply stocking your products in an existing space.
Pop-up shop vs. pop-up store: Is there a difference?
You’ll see both terms used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences in tone and context:
- “Pop-up shop” tends to show up more in the UK and other English-speaking countries outside the US, and is also the go-to in trend-forward cities like Portland, LA, and Brooklyn. It’s especially popular in the worlds of fashion, art, and indie retail. The style is more boutique: less about volume, more about a curated experience.
- “Pop-up store,” on the other hand, leans a little more corporate. You’ll hear it used in traditional US business contexts, especially in malls or large-format retail environments. The term emphasizes the commercial side of things: less moodboard, more square footage.
That said, these are soft tendencies, not hard rules.
Both terms are widely understood and accepted across regions. In practice, the choice often comes down to brand voice, industry norms, or what flows better in your marketing copy.
What are the benefits of a pop-up shop?
In 2024, community and networking events were the highest revenue generators for businesses in the US. Moreover, the same survey found that businesses that use event-led growth (ELG) initiatives experience better brand visibility (63%), stronger customer relationships (63%), and stronger or new partnerships (52%).
Here’s why pop-up shops work for modern retailers:
Creates an in-person connection
In-person shopping remains attractive to most consumers, according to a 2024 IBM Institute for Business Value study. The global study of 20,000 consumers reported that 73% turned to physical stores when buying goods.
Like traditional stores, pop-ups allow you to connect with your customers for an immersive, personalized shopping experience. Since you’re engaging with shoppers on a more intimate level, it can be easier to build customer loyalty.
Generates buzz
A temporary pop-up shop with a definitive end date taps into a shopper’s fear of missing out (FOMO). This tactic leverages a form of aspiration-based marketing known as FOMO marketing. The approach uses the limited-time nature of a pop-up shop to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity that drives people to show up and shop now—or else risk missing out on a one of a kind experience.
According to a 2023 meta-analysis on the effects of product scarcity, limited drops like those in a pop-up shop boost purchase likelihood by roughly 0.28 standard deviations. That’s a modest but reliable lift that can nudge a 10% conversion rate closer to 12% to 13%.
Tests potential physical locations
Pop-up shops require less upfront investment than traditional brick-and-mortar stores, which makes them an ideal testing ground. A successful pop-up shop can be an indicator that your business is ready for expansion into a physical retail store.
Offloads older inventory
Pop-up stores can be an effective means to sell old inventory. Incorporate visual merchandising elements into fresh displays to attract new shoppers. Offer special deals—such as buy one, get one free (BOGO) or product bundling—or other strategies to encourage impulse buys.
Drives multichannel sales
When looking for new product ideas, US shoppers in 2024 were most influenced by social media and in-store browsing, according to a Statista survey. This hybrid behavior reflects how modern discovery works: purchases may happen online, but inspiration still comes from a mix of digital and physical touchpoints.
Pop-ups encourage this cross-channel shopping behavior. “When we were doing pop-ups and in-person events, we realized we were making sales for all the month after because we would meet people in person,” says Myriam Belzile-Maguire, founder of Maguire Shoes. “And then, once they know they like the brand and they like their quality, they feel more comfortable buying online.”
Types of pop-up shops
There are numerous types of pop-up shops to consider, depending on your business needs and goals. Here are some examples.
Marketing event pop-ups
Marketing event pop-ups are the type of pop-up brands use to generate buzz around a new product launch, rebranding campaign, or business launch. Your pop-up store can serve as part of your overall marketing strategy for your retail business.
Seasonal pop-ups
Seasonal pop-up shops leverage seasonal characteristics to drive traffic and increase sales. The most common type of seasonal pop-up is the holiday pop-up shop. For some businesses, these shops tap into peak shopping season, which accounts for more than a quarter of their annual sales.
Chicago’s Christkindlmarket is an example of a seasonal market where businesses create pop-up stores. Open from mid-November to near the end of each year, the Christkindlmarket offers consumers an interactive holiday event featuring locally made goods from dozens of vendors to purchase as gifts.
Experimental pop-ups
As the name suggests, an experimental pop-up is one where a business experiments with new products, markets, merchandising, or retail experiences before launching on a bigger scale.
Experimental pop-ups allow businesses to be innovative, test ideas, and bring creative products or concepts to an audience they might not otherwise reach. Take Meta’s latest pop-up move: In the lead-up to Meta Connect 2024, the company launched Meta Lab, an experimental retail space for its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Meta opened a temporary retail pop-up in Los Angeles, giving visitors a hands-on way to experience the glasses in real life. Inside the space, shoppers could try on smart glasses, record videos, snap photos, and instantly download their content.
This type of pop-up can also allow business owners to gather valuable data about customer reactions and feedback.
Virtual pop-ups
Virtual pop-up shops offer an interactive virtual shopping experience where customers have the opportunity to browse products in a digital storefront. These types of pop-up shopping experiences simulate in-person shopping by allowing customers to virtually walk through your store and engage with your brand.
Unlike a traditional ecommerce website, virtual pop-ups are an interactive 360-degree shopping experience.
Online pop-ups
An online pop-up is a temporary digital storefront that lives on its own landing page or subdomain. You’ll usually see it tied to a product drop, early access launch, or seasonal campaign.
So, how is it different from a virtual pop-up? A virtual pop-up is an experience, not a storefront. Think livestream shopping, VR walkthroughs, or interactive digital events. It’s more immersive, less transactional.
For example, a fashion brand might launch an online pop-up for 72 hours with a capsule collection and countdown timer. Meanwhile, a virtual pop-up might feature a live styling session on Instagram or a gamified product reveal on a custom platform.
Shop-in-shops
A shop-in-shop is a shop set up within an established store. Retailers typically rent a portion of a store or boutique as a place to sell their products. Launching a pop-up in a store leverages the larger store’s existing foot traffic, helping you save money on rent and décor in the process. This type of pop-up works best when your products are in a similar or complementary niche as the store where you’re popping up.
Collaboration pop-ups
Collaboration pop-ups are co-hosted events built by brands, creators, or retailers with overlapping audiences. Think of it as a temporary retail alliance: you split the space, share the spotlight, and double your reach.
The magic here isn’t just about saving on rent (though that helps). A collaboration pop-up blends audiences, cross-promotes offers, and creates a fresh reason for shoppers to show up.
Most recently, the band BLACKPINK teamed up with Fanatics and Complex to launch the BLACKPINK IN YOUR AREA League Collection. The drop blended BLACKPINK’s visuals with iconic NBA and MLB jerseys, landing at the intersection of music, fashion, and sports fandom.
To kick things off, they hosted an exclusive pop-up in Los Angeles from July 11-13, 2025, giving fans early access to the collection before it dropped online.
Pop-up shop costs: What to expect
Before you can budget for your pop-up, you need to figure out what you’re actually building.
Your rental cost is your biggest line item, at 30% of your budget on average. Other than that, here’s what influences how much you’ll spend on your pop-up shop:
- The city and neighborhood you choose: Renting a space in SoHo, New York, will cost significantly more than one in a quieter part of Brooklyn.
- The square footage and the condition of the space: A polished, white-boxed storefront with built-in lighting and HVAC will cost more than a raw shell or an open booth.
- The length of your pop-up: Longer rentals often come with lower per-day rates, but a short-term activation might save on staffing and logistics.
- The foot traffic potential: High-visibility areas like shopping malls, festivals, or major intersections tend to come with higher price tags.
- The time of year: Expect rental costs to spike around holidays, peak tourist seasons, and major shopping weekends.
- The nature of your event: A product launch may require AV equipment, lighting, or special permits, while a low-key kiosk might not need much beyond a branded table and signage.
The best way to start is by getting clear on your goals and format. That’s what shapes everything else, especially what you’ll need to spend.
Start with these core questions:
- What’s the goal of this pop-up? Are you launching a product, testing a location, or building brand awareness?
- Do I want to sell, demo, or just build buzz? This will shape what kind of space you need and how much you’ll need to invest in design and staffing.
- How much square footage do I realistically need? A 150 square foot corner in a boutique is a totally different budget than a 1,000 square foot standalone storefront.
- Where do I want to be? Are you prioritizing high foot traffic (like a mall), niche alignment (like an art gallery), or a specific neighborhood (like SoHo versus East Village)?
- When will this run, and for how long? Rental rates spike during holiday seasons. And a weekend pop-up will cost far less than a four-week activation.
- Do I want to run multiple locations or keep it to one? A traveling pop-up will rack up logistics costs quickly, even if each individual stop is modest.
💡Pro tip: Storefront, one of the leading marketplaces for short-term retail space, lets you filter by city, event type, duration, etc., to get a realistic sense of your pop-up shop’s rental cost.
For example, a retail space in SoHo, New York, rented for less than a week and tagged for a product launch, ranges anywhere from $960 to $14,000 per day. That’s a wide spread, and it reflects how much your location, square footage, and setup matter.
But Storefront only covers the space itself. You’ll still need to budget for everything else: setup, staff, technology, marketing, and inventory.
Let’s have a closer look at those budgeting categories.
Budget breakdown by pop-up type
While every pop-up is different, we’ve pulled together ballpark cost ranges based on:
- Retail space rental data from Storefront: Where you can filter by city, duration, date, space type, and event type.
- Retail worker wages in the US: Estimated at $17 per hour according to ZipRecruiter.
- Shopify POS hardware pricing, including:
- The Tap & Chip Card Reader, starting at $49, for mobile or countertop payments.
- The POS Terminal Countertop Kit, priced at $349, for a more permanent setup (tablet not included).
- Digital marketing costs, which can vary widely: According to WebFX, most businesses will spend between $50 and $6,000 per month in 2025.
| Retail space | Setup & fixtures | Staffing & POS | Marketing | Total ballpark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-day event | $1,000–$5,000 | $500–$2,000 | $300–$800 | $500–$2,000 | $2,300–$9,800 |
| Weekend pop-up | $2,000–$10,000 | $1,000–$3,000 | $600–$1,200 | $1,000–$3,000 | $4,600–$17,200 |
| Short-term retail | $5,000–$25,000 | $2,000–$6,000 | $2,000–$5,000 | $2,000–$6,000 | $11,000–$42,000 |
| Online / virtual | N/A | $0–$2,000 | $0–$1,000 | $1,000–$10,000 | $1,500–$13,000 |
| Collab pop-up | $1,500–$10,000* | $1,000–$3,000 | $500–$3,000 | $1,000–$4,000 | $4,000–$20,000 |
*Collaboration pop-ups often share rental, setup, and staffing costs between partners.
💡 Pro tip: Tap to Pay on iPhone for Shopify POS is the fastest way to start selling your products at events, farmers markets, or wherever your customers are. Download the Shopify POS app on your iPhone to accept contactless payments without having to buy hardware or a card reader.
And if you don’t want to commit to buying hardware outright, Shopify offers POS hardware rentals. So you can get a temporary setup for your temporary storefront.
Hidden costs to consider
Pop-up budgets are rarely just rent + staff + signage. Once you’ve got the space, the real expenses start creeping in.
We’ve split them into two buckets: variable costs (things that scale with how you run your event) and upfront costs (things you’ll likely need to spend on before opening day).
Variable costs
These will depend on how long your pop-up runs, how much inventory you’re moving, and how ambitious your activations are.
- Inventory: What you spend here depends entirely on how much stock you carry and how fast it moves.
- Sales commissions: If you’re paying your staff commission-based incentives, factor that into your total labor cost.
- Marketing: Your promotion budget might include print flyers, signage, paid social, PPC ads, influencer outreach, or email.
- Packaging materials: If you’re shipping orders or offering pickup later, you’ll need boxes, labels, tissue paper, tape, etc.
Upfront costs
These are the things you’ll need to pay for before the first customer walks through the door.
- Permit fees: Depending on your city and format, you may need permits for sidewalk signage, food handling, music, or even just to operate as a temporary business.
- Insurance: Many landlords require general liability coverage, even for short-term leases.
- Utilities: Electricity, heating/cooling, and Wi-Fi aren’t always included in your rental rate.
- Credit card processing fees: Shopify Payments, for example, charges 2.4% to 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction depending on your plan.
- Shipping and freight: Don’t forget the cost of moving inventory, displays, or gear in and out of the space.
- Design and décor: Florals, branded accents, furniture styling, vinyl decals—whatever brings your brand to life in the space.
- Visual merchandising: Think mannequins, window props, branded signage, and backdrops for displays.
💡Pro tip: For perishables, build in a buffer for waste. For physical goods, account for returns, damages, and the occasional missing item.
How to set up a pop-up shop in 8 easy steps
There are clear steps to be taken when deciding it’s time to set up your pop-up store. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Choose a type of event space
It’s important to find the right spot for your pop-up store. Consider working with a retail agent, networking with other small businesses within your community, or tapping into apps to discover available spaces.
There are a number of common spaces used for pop-up shops:
- Vacant storefronts
- Shopping centers or malls
- Shop-in-shops
- Galleries or event spaces
- Pop-up buses or other mobile options
When evaluating pop-up venues, request a comprehensive estimate of your monthly payment, and what it includes.
2. Pick a pop-up shop location
To pick the best location for your pop-up store, it’s important to conduct market research. This includes choosing a location based on factors such as accessibility, foot traffic trends, target demographic, and leasing costs.
The questions you should consider asking at this stage include:
- What are the shop’s goals?
- How much rent or leasing cost is affordable?
- Is the neighborhood or street considered a high-traffic area?
- Are the passersby target customers?
If you’re looking to launch a new swimwear collection, somewhere near a beach might be best. If you’re trying to decide whether to make a permanent move into physical retail, use any currently available sales analysis data to figure out where most of your existing customers are.
💡Pro tip: To see where your customers are located and if they’re congregated in certain cities or neighborhoods, view the “Customers by location” report in Shopify admin.
3. Decide the shop type, interior, and exterior
Deciding the appropriate interior or exterior type includes knowing and understanding your audience, its needs and wants, and its design psychology. If using an existing retail space, is the retail store layout and design suitable for your merchandise?
The way your shop looks on the inside and outside also depends on the types of products or services sold. For example, if you are a seller of kites, you might set up an open-air concept pop-up shop to mirror the airy vibe of your product—and fun, youthful mentality of your shoppers. You can hire a design consultant to help with these tasks.
Here’s a checklist of factors to help in your decision-making:
- Square footage: Is the space big enough to allow shoppers to browse easily?
- Internet access: Is the space Wi-Fi ready? Is high-speed internet access available so your point-of-sale software runs smoothly?
- Stock space: Is there on-site storage or a stockroom to easily manage inventory? How much storage is available to hide visible inventory clutter?
- Anti-theft features: Does the space offer adequate loss prevention measures such as surveillance cameras or alarm systems to help monitor and prevent theft?
- Display space: Is the space equipped with the fixtures needed to display your products or materials?
- Frontage: Does the storefront have a sidewalk for walk-ins and foot traffic? Is the frontage big enough so you can easily manage curbside pickup orders?
- Signage: Does the shop location come with signage and, if so, are you allowed to customize it?
- Parking and public transportation access: Is there free or metered on-site parking? Or is there access to public transit?
4. Collect any necessary legal paperwork
Depending on the region or state where you start your business, your industry, the length of the pop-up shop, your business size, and your number of employees, you may be required to get certain licenses or permits to operate your pop-up.
For example, many cities require a permit to sell food and alcohol. If you plan to serve Champagne at your opening, secure the appropriate permit. Contact your local government agency or chamber of commerce for information on licensing and business permit requirements to ensure you are in compliance.
Additionally, you may need business insurance or commercial insurance. Consult a business risk management expert or firm to make sure the proper insurance policies are in place to protect your business.
5. Book your pop-up shop venue
Contact realtors directly to check if they have any pop-up shop venues available. There are also searchable, online databases where you can book properties yourself.
Examples include:
Booking a venue will include signing a retail leasing agreement. Under a lease, the renter is considered a tenant and given exclusive possession for the time agreed to by both parties, otherwise known as the term of the lease. The term will outline what you’re allowed to do in the space, such as modifications, hours of operation, and other key aspects.
Review the lease agreement carefully or hire a lawyer to do it for you.
6. Market your pop-up
Get the word out about your upcoming pop-up by working with other local businesses to promote it.
Word-of-mouth marketing can be an effective way to expand your reach. This type of business relationship can help in multiple ways: Local businesses may mention your pop-up in their social media feeds; you might offer a free promotion in return. For example, hotel guests may receive a coupon for 10% off one of your unique products.
Use your own marketing channels, like social media and email marketing, to promote your in-person event. Pop-ups can also be a great opportunity to collect contact information that lets you keep in touch with customers (or potential customers) afterward.
You can launch email marketing campaigns and run targeted social media ads to drive shoppers to your online store—and potentially experience a post-pop-up sales bump. Or, you can build customer relationships through email marketing outreach such as newsletters.
7. Measure success
After completing a pop-up, you’ll want to identify its success by assessing if you hit the shop’s goals and target key performance indicators (KPIs).
Conducting a sales postmortem, or evaluating your hits and misses, can help determine whether in-person selling is an effective sales channel for you.
Other ways to evaluate your pop-up shop’s success include:
- Measuring social media analytics: Social media engagement can drive traffic to your online shop and, conversely, your pop-ups. With the right social media analytics tools, you can track branded hashtags on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
- Tracking foot traffic: You can measure foot traffic using counters such as Dor to learn how many people walk into your store.
- Examining sales metrics: When conducting sales analytics, consider key retail metrics such as sales by date, customer, product, and employee.
Once you’ve identified what you want to track, head to Shopify Analytics to build a dashboard that actually works for you.
Customize your Shopify POS dashboard with data cards showing sales, orders, and customer behavior at a glance. Browse the Metrics library to pick what matters most, then drag, drop, and rearrange until it reflects your goals.
8. Maximize post-pop-up momentum
The end of your pop-up isn’t the end of the story. If you’ve done it right, you’ve just built awareness, gathered valuable shopper data, and made new customer connections.
Here’s how to keep the momentum going once the doors close:
- Send a follow-up email campaign: Thank attendees, share photos, and include a limited-time online offer to re-engage them. If you collected emails at the event—which is always a wise marketing move—this is where that first-party data starts working for you.
- Post a recap on social: Share behind-the-scenes content, video highlights, or crowd moments to trigger a little FOMO for anyone who missed it—and keep the buzz going online. Tag collaborators, creators, and anyone who amplified the event.
- Gather feedback while it’s fresh: A quick post-event survey or single-question form (“What did you love?”) shows customers you care—and gives you data to make the next pop-up even stronger.
- Offer an online-only drop or extended sale: Create a digital pop-up experience post-event. Give attendees early access to a limited-edition item, or offer a discount code for anyone who couldn’t make it in person. This strategy bridges the gap between your physical pop-up and online stores.
If you’re running a flash sale to mirror your physical presence, Shopify’s app ecosystem has you covered:
- BOLD Discounts let you schedule store-wide markdowns or flash sales without the hassle of coupon codes. Think automatic start and end times, countdown timers, and urgency-driving banners built right in.
- If you prefer a lighter touch, try Disco Flash Sale, which makes it easy to run short-term promotions with sleek sales banners and bulk discounting across collections.
- For last-minute shoppers or cart abandoners, FlashDeal lets you trigger timed pop-ups when someone adds items to their cart—nudging them to check out before the deal disappears.
Plus, Shopify Launchpad lets you schedule your flash sale or limited-edition drop ahead of time, so you can ride the post-event wave without lifting a finger. Auto-apply discounts, push updates across your storefront and socials, and bring everything back to normal once it ends.
Pop-up shop examples
Coming up with ideas for your next pop-up shop can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are three real-life examples of successful pop-ups.
Pop Up Grocer
Pop Up Grocer is a retailer that thought outside the box to create unique, experiential pop-up shops.
Pop Up Grocer is an innovative grocery store with an online presence and flagship retail location in New York City. The next-generation grocer carries more than 600 brands, focusing on smaller, emerging brands that are new, creative, and sustainable.
The grocery store company started as just a 10-day pop-up in Manhattan, in part because it had no money, says founder Emily Schildt. The concept then evolved into a traveling grocery shop, popping up for 30 days at each city stop.
Pop Up Grocer continues to reach new shoppers with its pop-up shops, and it’s not uncommon to find local vendors selling their wares there as well.
Plant Man P
Plant Man P is a streetwear brand for those who love houseplants. So it made sense to collaborate with the New York location of plant store The Sill to launch a shop-in-shop for its products.
“We decided to do a t-shirt design reading ‘Plant Care Is Self Care’ in the infinity symbol layout, because we believe that plant care is self-care, and vice versa,” says Plant Man P founder Jon Perdomo. “We love that we’re able to go out and meet people in the community and help out in any way we can, whether it’s plant care or self-care and anything else in between.”
Warby Parker
Eyeglass retailer Warby Parker started as a digital-native brand before testing physical retail through a pop-up in a bus. The experiment proved successful, and the company started opening storefronts. The brand now has more than 287 retail stores, with more planned.
Pop-up shop ideas
Here are some creative pop-up shop ideas to consider:
Seasonal themes
Embrace the seasons by designing a pop-up shop that reflects the current holiday or time of year.
For example, during the winter holidays, you could create a cozy, festive atmosphere with decorations, seasonal products, and themed activities. Think about offering holiday gifts, decorations, or even unique experiences like personalized ornament-making stations.
In the summer, consider a beach-themed pop-up featuring summer essentials like swimwear, sunscreen, and outdoor games. Seasonal themes not only attract customers but also create a memorable shopping experience.
Local artisan showcase
Shine a spotlight on the talent in your community by hosting a local artisan showcase.
You can feature handmade goods from local artists and craftspeople, such as pottery, jewelry, textiles, and artwork. Go one step further and build a community by organizing artist meet-and-greets or live demonstrations to engage customers and give them a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship behind each product.
Food and beverage tasting
Who doesn’t love free samples? A food and beverage pop-up can draw in crowds eager to try new flavors. Partner with local food producers, breweries, or wineries to offer tastings of their products. You could also create a themed experience around different cuisines or beverages. Think wine and cheese pairings or international street food.
Fashion boutique
Set up a temporary fashion boutique that showcases trendy clothing and accessories.
Curate a selection that reflects current fashion trends or caters to a specific demographic—such as athleisure wear for fitness enthusiasts or vintage-inspired pieces for retro lovers. You can create a personalized shopping experience with styling sessions or fashion shows featuring local models.
For example, Warby Parker teamed up with Catbird NYC to bring shoppers a new line of sunglasses.
Beauty and wellness
Give shoppers a little R&R with a beauty and wellness pop-up shop that focuses on self-care products and services. Offer skin care consultations, makeup tutorials, or even mini spa treatments like facials or massages. Feature local beauty brands that prioritize natural ingredients or sustainable practices.
DIY workshops
Create an interactive learning experience for your customers by hosting DIY workshops at your pop-up shop. These hands-on sessions can range from crafting homemade candles to painting pottery or creating personalized jewelry. Not only do these workshops provide a fun activity for attendees, but they also allow participants to take home something unique that they created themselves.
Pop-up café
Combine retail with relaxation by opening a pop-up café within your shop. Offer specialty coffee drinks, artisanal pastries, or light bites that complement the shopping experience. A cozy café space encourages customers to hang around a bit longer, which ultimately increases the chances of them buying something.
You could also consider hosting events like book signings or live music nights to add another dimension to your pop-up café.
Renting a pop-up shop
The beauty of the pop-up model is you’re not tied into lengthy, restrictive leases. Instead, you’re essentially renting the space for a limited period to showcase your products or services.
When scouting retail locations, look for spaces that offer flexibility in terms of size and layout. Some options include:
- Retail stores: Collaborate with existing retailers to take over their space during off-hours or slow seasons.
- Marketplaces: Consider shared spaces in local markets or community centers where you can reach diverse audiences.
- Event venues: Look for opportunities at fairs, festivals, or trade shows where you can set up a temporary shop.
Once you’ve found the perfect spot for your pop-up shop, it’s time to get down to business. Pop-up leases are a whole different ball game compared to regular ones, so you’ll want to hash out the details on how long you’ll be there and what it’ll cost you. Don’t forget to ask about those sneaky extra fees like utilities or insurance.
Make sure you’re not breaking any rules, then do the following:
- Check if you need any special permits or licenses to operate. Once that’s sorted, it’s time to make your space shine.
- Think about how you want your brand to look and feel. Use your brand colors, throw up some eye-catching signs, and create a navigable layout.
- Good lighting, the right tunes, and maybe even a signature scent can keep customers hanging around longer.
Moving forward with your pop-up shop
Pop-up stores are a powerful, relatively low-investment way to reach new audiences and retain existing ones.
No matter how consumer trends evolve, one aspect of these temporary storefronts will likely remain unchanged: Pop-up shops offer an affordable first step into physical retail for digital brands and entrepreneurs wanting to connect with their community.
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Pop-up shop FAQ
What is considered a pop-up shop?
A pop-up shop is a temporary retail space used by brands to sell products or services for a limited time. These shops often appear in high-footfall areas like malls, markets, or city streets, and are used to test new markets, build brand awareness, or drive sales.
What are the rules for pop-up shops?
Rules vary by location but generally include:
- Permits and licenses (like a temporary business license or sales tax ID)
- Lease agreement (short-term rental contract with a landlord or property owner)
- Insurance (public liability or event insurance is often required)
- Compliance with local health, safety, and zoning laws
In the US, check with your city’s business licensing office. In the EU or UK, local councils often handle this.
How profitable are pop-up shops?
Pop-up shops can bring in between 20% and 30% more revenue than traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Pop-up shops can be very profitable, especially when overhead is low and the campaign is tightly focused.
Does Gen Z like pop-up shops?
Yes—hugely. Gen Z values unique experiences, exclusivity, and in-real-life (IRL) brand interaction. Pop-up shops check all those boxes. Twenty-eight percent of Gen Z actively seeks out brands that offer memorable experiences, compared to just 17% of other age groups.
How much does a pop-up store cost?
The cost of launching a pop-up shop can vary wildly depending on the location, size, duration, and ambition of the setup. They can range anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000.
