How to create a successful online pop-up store

How to create a successful online pop-up store

Hosting an online pop-up is an incredible opportunity to entice the attention of your community. For your pop-up to be appealing and successful, you should take into account some characteristics your pop-up should have. Also, you should put into place a little strategy to maximise the time you are spending with the participants, that is why we want to share with you how to create a successful online pop-up store.

Remember, your pop-up should have an added value to the purchase experience. Use your expertise to create this value so more customers will participate, again and again.

//What you should keep in mind

Structure your session: it is essential to create a structured event, avoid idle times, and guarantee participants’ attention throughout the whole process.

There should be an introduction from the Brand Representative; he/she should divide the session as follow:

Introduction: first of all, the Brand Representative should introduce him/herself, in a personal and unique way. Customers love to experience an emotional connection with their brands, so if you take this momentum, you should start the session with the right foot. Further, the Brand Representative should explain the event and what topics he/she is going to discuss or the purpose of the pop-up. This way the participants have clear what to expect;
Rules of engagement: it might be the first time that some attendees are participating in an online pop-up, so it is essential to share which rules of engagement they should follow and how they can actively participate;
Conclusion: organised a warm closing where participants can give feedback. If another pop-up is already planned, the Brand Ambassador could share a preview invitation, explaining what it will be about. So participants will feel special, a trigger to visit again the following pop-up.
Support: during the live session, consumers might have questions about what you are saying. You might be able to answer them throughout your talk. Otherwise, you can have an assistant, connected to the live session using the name of your brand. For example: Go–PopUp or just Moderator, so the answer is visible among the other comments.

Technical check: despite being a digitalised society, we are experiencing a new way of being connected. Maybe, it is the first time your Brand Representative leads an online event, and for sure the first time it’s done from his/her house. These are some facts to check:

WIFI: be sure the connection used to go online is stable. You don’t want the session to run slow, or have a distorted sound;
Camera and microphone: try the functionality of these two items before going online and avoid any last minutes problems, just before going “live”;
Background: the background behind the Brand Representative should be plain and clean, not to cause any distraction to the attendees.
Light: be sure you are well lid, especially if it is a dark day outside or if you carry out your session during the evening. The solution is to have natural light. Choose a place near a window or where natural light comes in easily. Otherwise use a lamp that reproduces nice lighting.
Background noises: it’s important to avoid any background noise that can be distracting for the participants. Be sure to close the windows so, no outside noise can be heard. And your phone should be on mute. If you live with other people, be sure they know you are leading a live session. Otherwise, you might experience an unexpected distraction like Professor Robert Kelly experienced when the BBC interviewed him.
Rehearsal: run a trial session to check the overall quality of the composition you have put together. Watch it back so you can see the result and adjust what you think you can do better. Remember, practice makes perfect!

//Be creative!

Create appealing content: why should your community participate in your online pop-up? Create a specific topic that connects with your core business idea or with your values.

For instance: if your brand creates clothing, you could launch a pop-up around a theme: “Back to work: create your office look.” Your Brand Representative can guide the public through the trends in the future of office attire, suggesting new buys from key items from your e-commerce.

If you need some help creating appealing content, you can also use our Canvas Consulting Services, a tool where we help you to develop a concept that can be applied to any pop-up you want to develop, physical or digital.

Materials: when you have clear what you want to talk about during your live event, make an extensive list of all the materials you need. Be sure everything is by your side before the session starts. So, you won’t have any distraction when in front of your audience.

Involve your community: your community has many people with experiences and special expertise that can be valuable for the rest of your customers. Reach out to them! Ask in which way they can share their know-how. Involve them in a peer-to-peer experience that can reinforce the feeling of belonging. Running out of ideas? Ask them what type of pop-up they will be willing to attend!

For instance: if you are a clothing company, you could reach out to someone who loves to upcycle. You could ask to carry out a workshop on how to upcycle an old blouse from your brand and transform it into something new and beautiful.

We are sure, that now, you have clear how to create a successful Online Pop-Up Store: