Timing is everything in the world of business and marketing. Brands must determine the perfect time to launch campaigns, make important announcements, offer discounts and promotions, and introduce new products. Brands that are planning on hosting a pop-up shop must also figure out the perfect timing for this event.

The timing of the event can make or break the entire pop-up shop. If the timing is wrong, the event will not attract the brand’s target audience or achieve any of the brand’s marketing goals. But, if the timing is right, a pop-up shop can help brands reach new levels of success. Here’s how to perfect the timing of a pop-up shop launch:

Consider the Seasonality of the Brand

It’s important to consider the seasonality of the brand when determining the right time for a pop-up shop. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to host a pop-up shop for a swimsuit brand in the middle of winter since swimsuits are worn in the summer. It will be hard to get guests excited about buying swimsuits when it’s freezing outside–even if they do fall in love with a certain style.

If your products are traditionally given as gifts, it’s probably best to host a pop-up shop around the holidays. This may seem obvious, but many brands forget to consider the seasonality of their products when perfecting the timing of their event.

Popular Events

Marketers should take the time to research big events that are happening in the community before finalizing the date for their pop-up shop. For example, let’s say you are trying to attract young fashion-forward women to your pop-up shop. In this case, it makes sense to host the pop-up shop around the same time as the city’s fashion week. You may even be able to partner with some of the local designers that are showing at fashion week to generate more buzz around your event.

If you want to introduce your products to people who work in a certain industry, research trade shows and conferences in the community. Pay attention to what’s going on in your community so you know when the time is right to launch your pop-up shop event.

Do Your Research

It’s also helpful to look at what competitors have done in the past. Have any of your competitors hosted pop-up shops or other experiential marketing events? If so, what time of year did these events take place? Were they successful or not? Learn from your competitors’ mistakes–this information may help you avoid hosting a pop-up shop during the wrong time of the year.

You will also need to know if your competitors are planning on hosting a similar pop-up event this year. If they are, it’s important to find out when the event is taking place. There’s nothing wrong with planning your event for the same time, but then you must make sure that your event is more memorable than theirs. This doesn’t necessarily mean spending more money–it simply means implementing more creative strategies and planning an event that your guests will never forget.  If you aren’t ready to go head-to-head, it’s better to plan your pop-up shop for a different time of the year.

The Location

Have you already chosen the venue for your pop-up shop? If so, then this should also be taken into consideration when choosing the timing. Many venues are located in areas that get a lot of foot traffic on a certain day of the week or time of day. Research the area so you know when the area gets the most foot traffic, then plan your event around this time.

For instance, let’s say you are renting a venue located in an outdoor shopping center. After researching the area, it is clear that there is more foot traffic at night on the weekends. The foot traffic is heaviest during the spring months when the weather is cool and the skies are clear. Therefore, the best time to host your pop-up shop is in the springtime either in the evening or at night on the weekend.

Budget

You should keep the budget for the event in mind when choosing the perfect time. Why? The cost of hosting a pop-up shop can vary depending on many factors, including the location and timing. For example, hosting a pop-up shop at fashion week may be ideal for your brand, but the cost of renting a venue during this busy time of the year may be out of your budget. In situations like these, it’s important to explore other times of the year in order to stay within your budget.

Leave Plenty of Time For Planning

Don’t forget to leave yourself plenty of time to actually plan the event. In fact, it’s best to think about how much time you need to put the event together before you choose a date. Create a rough timeline so you can visualize how long it will take to get everything done for the event.

If the perfect timing happens to be in a few weeks, it’s probably best to choose a less-than-perfect time instead of trying to put everything together at the last minute. The timing is one of many factors that affects the success of the event, so you shouldn’t sacrifice crucial planning time in order to perfect the timing.

At this point, you should know how to perfect the timing of your pop-up shop event. Even though this is out of the way, your work is far from over. Now, it’s time to put everything else together so your pop-up shop is ready in time. Let us help–contact the experiential marketing experts at Factory 360 to learn how we can assist with your pop-up shop plans.