Guide to Pop-Up Shop Displays

The option to shop online or in store is ongoing. Yet the rise of pop-up shops has been a game changer for bringing people back to retail streets and shopping centres. Pop-up shops offer a gateway to items that aren’t available everywhere and the shopper knows that accessibility to the items is limited.

As a pop-up shop owner, designer, or visual merchandiser it is a design challenge to create an environment that is:

  1. Fit for purpose
  2. Looks appealing
  3. Is durable
  4. Creates interest

Most of the time pop-up shops are vacant spaces with bare walls and floors – in some respects are a designer’s dream, a blank canvas! However, it requires design thinking and agile decisions. Here are some tips to tackle your space.

1. Create a design that represents your brand

A key factor is being true to your brand and style. Harness the assets you already have, and amplify the colours, fonts, shapes, and assets.

Think about how your brand speaks to your client’s problem and invites them in with a visual hint of the solution. Focus on your client and design your retail display around them.

Display plinth in brand colours, installed for trade event.
Plinth cupboard, with stacking layers.

2. Function

Did you know that one in five people in Australia have a form of physical or mental disadvantage?

Consider how to broaden your appeal with sightlines that are accessible for all. Low lying display plinths and lower shelving can provide greater visual access for your client base. Create a space that is easy to move around and enables clients to access to your products easily. Consider the option of custom made furniture that can be rearranged for ongoing use.

Low pedestals, with replacable artwork, and slots to hold products.

3. Durable

The nature of a pop-up store is that time constrains mean it will come to life in a matter of days and be taken down as swiftly.

Therefore, a focus on displays that are light in weight, easily mobile (can roll in and out on castors) can bring greater ease to your installation.

Moveable internal walls, with hanging tracks, and an openable door for internal storage.

4. Looks fresh

How to keep your displays looking durable and fresh?

Pop-up store moves require greater movement than static retail displays. Damage can be an added overhead and inconvenience. We recommend sourcing a custom-made solution made from sustainable and hardwearing material that can last and look good instore. Or choose a paint finish that can easily be touched up for the next event, keeping the costs lower.

5. Getting people interested!

While pop-up store is low in legacy, their strengths are flexibility and agility. With little to lose, there is great potential for being audacious in your visual display.

Create a signature or showpiece custom display or event prop that catches the eye of passers-by and makes them walk into your pop-up store. Innovate with low cost materials on a sturdy base that can be reused. Rethink how you can use your packaging as part of the display, offcuts, or materials that would be otherwise discarded during the production process. The only limitation is your imagination!

Bunjil Nest for Naidoc Week
Re-usable steel frame, woven with salvaged branches