Dozens of brands have hosted pop-up shop events in order to boost sales, raise awareness, and build relationships with their target audience. But, the problem with many of these events is the brand focuses far too much on the product instead of the experience. By losing sight of the experience aspect of the event, these brands are unable to make meaningful connections with their guests. Although the events may lead to a short-term boost in revenue, they do not help the brand meet the ultimate goal of building genuine relationships with their target audience.

If you are planning on hosting a pop-up shop event, it’s important to make engagement with your guests one of your top priorities. Here’s how to make a pop-up shop event more interactive:

Take Advantage of Tablets

Tablet devices play an important role in an engaging and interactive pop-up shop event. Brands should use tablet devices to process payments and show customers more information about their products. But, do not simply place tablets throughout the event. Instead, give each brand ambassador a tablet so they can move freely throughout the event and interact with guests. This makes it easier for brand ambassadors to start up conversations with guests since they will not be confined to one specific area within the space.

Provide Samples

There’s no better way to strike up a conversation and build a connection with a guest than by offering a free sample. Even if a guest declines the sample, the brand ambassador can continue the conversation to learn more about why the guest attended the event. Then, the ambassador can use this information to introduce the guest to products or services that they may actually want to try. Giving out free samples will not only draw guests into your event, but it will also give you an opportunity to connect with them once they’ve arrived.

Plan Live Events and Workshops Within the Pop-Up Shop

Putting merchandise on display within a pop-up shop is not enough to encourage interaction between your guests and brand ambassadors. Make your event more interactive by hosting a live event or workshop within the pop-up shop. For example, Eastpak launched a pop-up shop to introduce their customers to a new line of backpacks. Inside the event, guests had the opportunity to watch a local artist create an art installation live while looking at the collection of Eastpak backpacks. This live performance made the entire event more interactive and helped guests understand Eastpak’s brand personality.

Make Guests Comfortable

A lot of brands don’t give much thought to the design of the pop-up shop. Many brands believe that simple designs are better because they are easier to set up and take down quickly, which is important when hosting a temporary pop-up shop. But, it’s harder for guests to have fun and engage with a brand if they’re anxious to leave an event. To prevent this problem, make your event as comfortable as possible for your guests. Create comfortable seating areas and use accessories and colors that add warmth to the space. If your guests are comfortable, they will stick around longer, which gives you plenty of time to engage with them.

Hire Enough People

Not hiring enough people to work the event can impact how customers are able to engage and interact with your brand. If a pop-up shop is understaffed, brand ambassadors may not have time to greet and connect with every person that enters the space. Guests may come and go without ever making contact with someone from your brand.

Being understaffed can also affect the guests’ ability to enjoy all of the planned activities within the pop-up shop. For example, let’s say there are interactive games that guests can play with the help of a brand ambassador. If the event is understaffed, the brand ambassadors may not have time to let every guest in line play the game.

In addition, the brand ambassadors may feel rushed to wrap up conversations with guests if they know the event is understaffed. This can make it harder for brand ambassadors to engage in informative and meaningful conversations with guests. Don’t let a staffing mistake affect your brand’s chances at connecting with guests–hire plenty of people to work your pop-up shop.

Be Creative

Thinking of ways to make your pop-up shop is difficult, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It doesn’t matter what business you are in–you can make a pop-up shop interactive if you are creative. For example, Target and the Museum of Ice Cream recently hosted a co-branded pop-up shop event. The event gave guests the opportunity to sample and purchase several different flavors of ice cream. But, that’s not all. The brands also created an interactive tasting room where guests could learn more about the process of making ice cream and taste even more sweet treats. By thinking outside the box, these two brands were able to pull off an interactive and successful pop-up shop.

Find A Way to Follow Up

It’s important to continue the conversation with your guests after the event has come to an end. After all, a deep connection with a customer should last for more than a few hours. You will need to get your guests’ information at the event so you know how to contact them later. Ask them to provide their contact information when they make a purchase at your event. You can also require them to submit their contact information in order to sign up for a giveaway or contest that you’re hosting within the pop-up shop. Securing their information at the event ensures that you can continue to interact with them after the event is over.

Are you interested in hosting a pop-up shop? If so, the experiential marketing experts at Factory 360 can help. Let our team of skilled marketers plan and implement the perfect pop-up shop strategy so you can build stronger connections with your target audience. Call us today to start growing your business!