Best Practices for Running a Successful Pop-up Booth at a Market

From SMBs to enterprises, pop-ups have become a huge trend over the years. Pop-up booths for retail and foodservice are a proven way to reach new audiences, test out a brick-and-mortar store, or create hype for your business or cause without a major investment.

The increased pull to create breezy outdoor events and open-air markets during the time of COVID-19 has only amplified the popularity of pop-up booths. Outdoor flea markets, festivals, farmer’s markets, and antique market events have skyrocketed over the last year. Read on to find out how to blend the trends by hosting your own booth at a specialty or local community event — and how PODS can help your pop-up booth run as smoothly as possible.

Why You Should Consider a Pop-up Booth

Not sure if it’s worth your time to set up a pop-up booth? Being a vendor at a local community event is an excellent and easy way to get your business in front of the general public. Farmer’s markets, flea markets, or even state fairs can get personable impressions and sales due to their high foot traffic and attendees with a buyer’s mindset.

These events also help associate your business with the local community, even if your business is an enterprise business. Plus, the very nature of having a temporary pop-up booth helps to create an urgency that supports impulse buys.

5 Tips for Creating a Successful Flea Market Pop-Up Booth

Whether it’s your first time being a vendor at a local market or you’re launching a pop-up program at multiple locations, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Choose the right community event for your target consumer and audience
2. Scope out the best location(s), which is likely the one with the highest natural amount of foot traffic
3. Make your booth display stand out against the crowd
4. Draw in prospective buyers by putting your best products in the most visible areas — and keep your most valuable items in a case or off the entryway areas to avoid theft
5. Make sure attendees know how to find you after the event is over (like a website, brick and mortar shop, next event, etc.)

How to Keep Your Booth Safe

Community events are wholesome in intent but as with any endeavor, there are still safety concerns to mitigate. Believe it or not, community events like flea markets and farmer’s markets can be subject to random acts of violence and crime, from theft to even gunfire in extreme cases. Pop-up booth vendors in a post-2020 world also need to be aware of health and safety protocols brought on by the pandemic. 

Here are a few ways that using PODS containers can help pop-up booth vendors keep themselves, their patrons, and their inventory safe .

Create a pop-up booth inside a PODS container. PODS containers are easy to transform into temporary retail spaces and eye-catching displays. Not only do pop-up shops inside PODS containers look more professional and stand out next to competing booth rentals that use tents and tables, but they can also allow vendors to create safer, socially-distanced, limited entry shopping environments.

Securely store your booth inventory on-site at events. PODS containers provide a secure, accessible inventory storage space for your pop-up booth after hours on-site and overnight due to their high-security locking features. We also have hundreds of indoor storage facilities located across the country if you need an off-site storage option.

Protect your inventory or pop-up booth between locations. Participating in multiple markets and events? PODS can help you keep your inventory or container pop-up safe between locations. Store your inventory or your pop-up booth at one of our secure storage facilities when it’s not being used — we’ll even pick it up and drop it back off on your schedule. Our patented PODZILLA moving machine keeps your PODS container and the contents inside level, leaving less possibility for damages to any goods.

Creating a temporary pop-up booth is an exciting opportunity and easy way to spread the word about your business at a local, community level. We’re here to help you stand out against the crowd and stay safe.

Interested in portable storage? Learn about the benefits of using PODS commercial storage containers to elevate your business and your brand, here. 

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RELATED ARTICLE: One of America’s Oldest Flea Markets “Pops-Up” Three Times a Year