The World's Best Pop Up Shop Ideas
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The World's Best Pop Up Shop Ideas
Whether you like it or not, pop up shops -- those small-scale, transient retail spaces you'll find in your hip, old-industrial neighbourhood -- have gone mainstream. Originally conceived as a way for fledgling businesses to take advantage of unoccupied shopfronts for short-term exposure, the idea has taken off like wildfire. Even the heavyweights -- like Tiffany and Adidas -- have pop-up shops now, albeit on a slightly fuller budget.
There's a lot you can learn from the numerous pop up shop ideas out there. Whether you've made some cute dresses in your spare time and you want to see if you can make some spare cash, or if you've been in business for years, but looking for a way to reach new customers, a pop up shop of some scale could work for you.
Take a look at our collection of the world's best, brightest and poppiest pop up shops to get your creative juices flowing:
Shipping Container Pop Up Shop
Worldwide brands obviously have more cash to splash than your Mum and Dad retailer. But here's an approach even smaller businesses can use to create a semi-permanent pop up shop -- shipping containers! They can be purchased or hired for a relatively low price, they're already watertight, and with a little imagination (as the H&M design shows) they can be transformed into a fun, on-brand space perfect for attracting customers to pop in a have a look.
Styling a Pop Up Shop
I'll admit that this fabulous London gelataria is a little bit too permanent to be considered a pop up. But the ideas within are a great example of clever styling and minimal fit-out used to outstanding effect.
If you were able to sub-let a shopfront for, say a month, you might be able to justify going that extra mile to really create a theme and make the space your own. Remember, a little paint goes a long way -- here, simply by painting umbrellas on the wall, they've transported their customers to Tuscany in the Summer. For you, even one dramatic feature wall can make a temporary space feel like it was meant to be.
The Food Cart Concept
That street vendor you walk past everyday on your way to the shop has his products on wheels for a reason: it's simple, flexible and it works! Flexible enough to move undercover when it starts to rain, or follow the crowd to their favourite lunch spot, the food cart is perfect for pop up shops.
If you have a select range of products that could be displayed creatively within the space constraints of a food cart, you may have a winner. These things can be picked up second-hand relatively cheaply (or made from scratch), and with a bit of styling you'll have a must stop pop up shop on your hands!
Blackboard Cutout Pop Up Shop
You really don't need anything too elaborate or fancy to peddle your wares. This pop up shop keeps it simple -- just a couple of cutout plywood sheets painted with blackboard paint and scribbled on with chalk.
In this case it's a food outlet, but the options for this style of pop up shop are endless. It could even be a great, low-budget way to promote your business at a fair or expo.
A Shop That Literally Pops Up
This clever little pop up shop literally pops up to provide a sheltered kiosk. The whole box fits neatly on the back of a trailer for easy transportation. Depending on your business, this could be the perfect market, fete or road-side stall.
Cardboard Box Pop Up Shop
This pop up shop uses the lowest of low-cost materials -- cardboard boxes -- to create a stylishly simple display. No matter what space you're dealing with this could be the perfect solution. Just head down to your local storage space or office supplies store and grab as many boxes as you need. The options aren't just limited to cardboard, either. Anything that's modular and repeatable will work. Other ideas that could work -- old tyres, terra-cotta pots or concrete pavers (none are as light and easy to haul around, though!).
Flexible, affordable and very chic.
Pop Up Shops for when you have money to spend
If you've got money to spend on your pop up shop (which, yes, kind of goes against the low-cost philosophy of pop up shops) you need to do what the heavyweights Tiffany and ADIDAS are doing -- turn your shop into an oversized version of your (instantly recognisable) packaging!
Who wouldn't want to step into a shoe box the size of a small house, or a jewelry shop hidden inside a giant Tiffany box -- decked out in their trademark robin egg blue and donned with a ribbon -- to take a look at what's inside?!
It's very clever -- I bet the marketers who came up with the ideas for these pop up shops poured themselves an extra big glass of bubbles after that day in the office.
Simple Plywood Boxes for Versatile Pop Up Shop Displays
Plywood, plywood, plywood. What pop up shop round-up would be complete without it. Cheap, versatile, and naturally beautiful, plywood can be used to create shelving, advertising, or in this case, display casing, for a whole range of products.
So when you're planning your new pop up shop, be sure to think of plywood.
Stock your store full of stockings
In this case another low budget material -- stockings -- have been used to decorate an otherwise dingy warehouse. Remember to think outside the box when designing your pop up store. The stockings used in this store match the palette of the clothing on sale, which is a great way to ensure the stock and the styling (in this case the stock-ings) mesh well (pardon the puns).
Timber Palette Pop Up Shop
Timber palettes are another mainstay of the pop up shop aesthetic. And for good reason. They're low cost, flexible and look great -- bringing a rough, raw aesthetic to the shop.
If timber palettes are a good fit for your product, they can be stacked, hung or laid on the floor to provide hanging space, shelving or even (as in this case) flooring. Now that's a pretty versatile material.
Set Up Your Pop Up Shop Today
Inspired? You can start setting up your pop up shop today. Our shop fitters and other tradespeople can help you from start to finish. Get quotes today so you can start selling from your stylish pop up shop tomorrow (or at least as soon as possible!).
About the Author
Brodie Norris runs Lunchbox Architect, which features one architecturally designed home each weekday.
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