All about Pop Up shops – with Ami Rabheru

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Welcome to the Bring Your Product Idea to Life podcast. This is the podcast for you if you're getting started selling products or if you'd like to create your own product to sell. I'm Vicki Weinberg, product creation coach and Amazon expert. Every week I share friendly, practical advice as well as inspirational stories from small businesses. Let's get started.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:00:24

Hello, so today on the podcast I'm talking to Ami Rabheru. Ami is founder of the Retail Business Hub and Scale with Wholesale Academy. Ami is a retail business consultant and product strategist. Ami has actually joined me on the podcast before. She was speaking about selling your products wholesale, and I've invited her on again to talk about another subject that I know Ami is really passionate and knowledgeable about, and that is popup shops. So some of you may have heard of pop-up shops. In fact, I'm sure a lot of you have maybe you've shopped at one, maybe you've sold your products in one. And today Amy and I talk all about how it's done. So we cover what pop-up shop is and the different methods of running one. We actually talk about how you can create your own if you can't find opportunities local to you or even not local to you, because Ami explains that you don't necessarily have to look for popup shop in your own location. So hopefully this will give you something else to think about. And if you do decide that pop-up shops is something you want to try, it'll give you lots of information on things to consider and how to go about it. So I would love now to introduce you to Ami. So, hi Ami. Thank you for being here again.

Ami Rabheru: 00:01:29

Thank you for having me, Vicki.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:01:31

So we've invited you back to talk about pop-up shops, but before we do that, can you just give a little reminder of who you are and what you do please?

Ami Rabheru: 00:01:38

Yeah, of course. So thank you so much for having me here. Um, I'm a former buyer turned retail business consultant, and I help product businesses start, grow and scale. I specialize in helping product brands to approach, pitch and sell into retailers.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:01:53

Amazing. Thank you. So I've invited you here to talk about pop-up shops because I know it's a topic that you love. But what I would love to know from you, Ami, is where did that come from? Why did you get so interested in them?

Ami Rabheru: 00:02:05

Yeah, thank you. It's absolutely one of my other favorite subjects and yeah, I do have a great story to tell and when I. I suppose it came from when I left my corporate buying career in 2015 ish, I started a fashion brand. That's one of the first things I did when I left my corporate buying career, and I didn't really, it was one of those things that was just off a whim. I didn't really have a proper plan or a, you know, any kind of documented business plan or anything like that, which is really bad, I know. Um, I just had a really great idea. I jumped on a plane to see one of the factories that I'd had a longstanding relationship with anyway, designed a collection, and that was literally how it started. So when it arrived, of course I had to sell it. Um, and I think this story, um, as a brand founder still surprises clients, especially given what I teach retail brands, um, to do. And when my collection arrived, I didn't really have, um, any kind of strategy apart from good old Instagram. I'd already started an Instagram page whilst my collection was being manufactured, and I started actually building up quite a nice following from it. So of course when it arrived, it really did start to feel real. And I knew, um, obviously from my retail background that to be successful, um, in a retail product business, I needed to not only sell it, but sell it fast, um, and turn that stock around. Um, I didn't have a website for the first two years of the launch of my product business. Um, and because I'd spent all of my money into building my first collection, it was, it wasn't really a priority at the time. It probably should have been. Um, so anyway, I got in touch with someone who, um, owned a jewellery brand. Um, she also lived close to me and I asked her if I could have a stall at her next pop-up event. So she was really great at organizing these events and she, uh, became sort of well known to me. She took me on and my first event with her was an absolute phenomenal success. I couldn't believe how well customers had received the range, and my sales were also great, and that very next month I was back on that plane to see um, the factory again to plan production for loads more stock. So, you know, in that first two years, all of my revenue came from physical pop-up shops and on the ground collaborations and events. And once I knew how powerful this was, I continued that strategy for my business and it literally catapulted my growth, my brand awareness. And it was all from physical, retail, physical pop-up shops. Um, and it elegantly kind of built my community of loyal customers. Uh, just all just that sort of good old fashioned getting out there. And after I'd done a couple, I started collaborating with the lovely Dee who was, um, who's now my friend and I, um, we doing, was doing pop-up shops with her. She's my pop-up partner in crime. And we started arranging, um, pop-up shops and of course, um, then I finally launched my website. I already had a lovely community of loyal followers ready to buy from me.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:05:20

That's amazing. Oh, I like that story. Thank you for sharing. Um, out of curiosity then, so were your pop-up shops all in the same area or were you moving around with them?

Ami Rabheru: 00:05:30

Yeah, it's funny actually. I did start locally and I started building up my clientele locally very much. And that worked because people would come back and see me over and over again. And then the bigger my gra my brand grew, I started branching out and actually started going to other locations. Um, and then collaborating with local brands who already had an audience so that I didn't have to start from scratch. So yeah, it, it played into a, a great sort of first strategy locally for me, but then I was able to do, you know, take that, um, almost take that model and then build it nationally as well.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:06:07

Oh, that's exciting. And I've got lots of questions about how that works logistically, but I think we'll come onto that actually, because I know there were lots of different models of popup shops because I'm assuming that you weren't just driving around the country with a van and, and setting and setting up. So in a moment we'll talk a little bit more about the logistics and some of the different ways popups can work. Um, but what I'd like to just cover, and I know this is a really silly question. Yeah. And I'm sure everyone listening knows the answer. But just in case, um, because no one wants, you know, no one wants to be the one to ask or be the one to ask, what is a pop-up shop? How would you, um, summit up Ami?

Ami Rabheru: 00:06:40

Great question actually um, Vicki. So in a nutshell, as the name suggests, it's a sort of a temporary retail space that is used to sell products, um, even services for a short period of time. And we often see, um, this used by businesses to create unique and exciting shopping experiences for their customers. Um, enabling the brand to connect their customer journeys.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:07:06

Thank you. I'm actually a big fan of these as well. I've had some products in them and I also love it if. If I see one, if I see one, I'm desperate to go in because you just know it's going to be lots of smaller brands that you might not necessarily find in a department store or somewhere else. So I, as a re as a consumer, sorry, I think it's a great way of like finding things that you might not otherwise come across.

Ami Rabheru: 00:07:29

Yeah, I love, I love that and I love the prospect of just walking into one and discovering so many unique brands all under one roof. I think it's a great, great way and I think that's why customers love them and that's why they're so popular.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:07:42

So let's get back and talk about some of the logistical things, if that's okay, Ami. Because you mentioned that first of all, you were running popups local to you and then you were running them over the country. And as I say, I'm fairly sure you're, you're going to tell me you weren't just driving around with, with your van and setting up everywhere. So what are some of the different models of popup shops? So what are different ways in which they operate?

Ami Rabheru: 00:08:03

So that's really funny because I was driving around in a van and setting up.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:08:06

Oh, you were

Ami Rabheru: 00:08:06

in different stalIs. When I was a small business and Yeah, I mean my husband was Team B and um, as we got bigger, we did have to hire. You know, much bigger vans, um, and, and, and op and, and think about our operations and logistics a little bit more. Um, and, and what I was doing was daily or weekend pop-up shops. So I was not doing a sort of long-term pop-up shops, but a really great question, um, to lead on, um, to that I can see 're surprised.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:08:33

No, I think that's, that, that's really good just for people to know because I had been of the assumption and this is why like our own personal experiences always play into it so much. So the only pop-up shops I've ever had my products in are the ones where you commit to maybe a month.

Ami Rabheru: 00:08:46

Yeah.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:08:47

Or either the shops open for a month or it's going to be open for a while and you say, I want a month, or I want a week, or whatever.

Ami Rabheru: 00:08:53

Yeah.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:08:53

And, um, in both of those instances, I ne I didn't, one of them was local to me and I had to bring stock in. Um, and the other one was one where I, you know, they want, they didn't want you to turn up, they wanted you to ship it to them. And they were going to do all the merchandising and that was great because that one was in Brighton. That would've been hard for me to get everything down there.

Ami Rabheru: 00:09:12

Mm-hmm.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:09:13

Um, so that's really interesting that we've had really different experiences. So I think it's, that's why it's great to talk about some of the different ways these might run, because I guess it's not going to be viable for everybody to travel around with their stock.

Ami Rabheru: 00:09:25

Yes.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:09:25

Um, but then there're going to be others for whom it's really important to actually be there. So let's talk about, through some of the different ways they might work.

Ami Rabheru: 00:09:32

Absolutely. And I think, you know, I think there's so many different ways and, you know, no one should feel like it's, you know, doing a pop-up shop is not accessible to them. Um, and there's several different models like you suggested. And I think the first, which is very much what I did was collaborations with other brands. So this is where you can hire a venue or a retail space for a day or, you know, if you wanted to do it as short as that. Um, and um, just you know, put out a collaborative popup event with other businesses. And this kind of model is incredibly popular in the small business community as this model enables you to share the cost and of course, other people's audiences, which is a huge benefit. And it was a huge factor for me as well in terms of the success. And the next model, I suppose, following on from that, is that you can take a short term lease on an existing retail space, um, most of the, you know, whether the organizers will want the brand to run it or not, is again, there's variations on that kind of model, this model as well. Um, but it can be like on a high street or a shopping center, and typically we see this. Anywhere from, you know, a few days to one month. And we typically see larger D two C brands use this kind of model or someone who is sort of, you know, running, uh, a collaborative popup event, but leading, leading the event. Um, and I suppose there's an extension to both of those. The other model, the other models around this include, um, things like popup, you know, organized popup events. Um, space in existing retailers, uh, markets and experiential pop-up shops. And in this space we are seeing that more sophisticated setup where companies would lease the space, lead the curation of the brands, and essentially sell space within that shop, um, or, or retail space to smaller brands and, and for us, those smaller brands that saves the headache of putting an event together and organize it.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:11:35

That's great. Thank you. And I think even within that, there are, you know, the way these run, there are some differences, aren't there? Because I know that I've had my shops and my shops, my products in shops that have expected me to be there to sort of be a presence and talk to people.

Ami Rabheru: 00:11:49

Yes.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:11:49

And answer questions about the brand. But I've also had products in shops where they're happy for you to pop in from time to time. But what they really want is to hire their own sales team. And maybe they want a brief on your brand and your products, but actually, they'd rather be responsible for the selling. And then, and then of course, there's some differences aren't there in the, in how much of you know, do they take a percentage? Do they, do you pay for the space and. Yeah, there's.

Ami Rabheru: 00:12:14

Yeah.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:12:14

There's a lot isn't there?

Ami Rabheru: 00:12:15

There's lots of variations within that. Some will want you to do both, pay a nominal fee for the space and then take a percentage. Um, and some will take a percentage. And if, if it's, if it's that, then it's likely to be a higher percentage. Um, but yeah, there's so many different variations within, within those models that I talked about.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:12:33

So we'll talk about that a little bit later. About some how, what to think about if you're looking for an opportunity.

Ami Rabheru: 00:12:37

Yeah, sure.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:12:38

But I mean, you've, you've covered a lot of this already actually, in terms of why we might consider using a pop-up shop. So what are some of the other benefits? Is there any, is there anything we haven't yet talked about that would be a really good reason for someone to consider this?

Ami Rabheru: 00:12:50

Yeah, so I think, um, you know, pop-up shops are, offer several benefits actually in so many actually, and they do include some of the things that we've talked about, like increased brand exposure. They essentially provide the opportunity to reach new customers and expand brand awareness quickly. Um, which is great. And, you know, we we're all fighting our algorithms and um, you know, online space at the moment, but it's a, it's a great way to also drive customer loyalty and spend with existing customers. It's one of the things that I found work really well when I was doing them. Um, connecting with customers has got to be the biggest benefit of all. Physical retail is still stronger than digital retail and us humans need to have that tactile experience of being able to physically touch and feel the products and experience the brand and the founders from which they're buying from. It's also a great way of testing new products as well.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:13:49

That makes a lot of sense. And when you talk about touching and feeling the products, so, um, one of the products I used to sell was baby towels and they sold really well online, but they sold out every time I had them in a physical environment because yeah, people could feel them and they could feel how soft they are. Because it's hard to put into words how soft something is. Um, but I found that when people could actually physically touch them, yeah, it was much easier to sell and I think there were lots of examples of products that actually will always perhaps sell a bit better in person because you can't show, you know, you can have the best photography and fantastic product descriptions, but there's nothing quite like being able to touch and feel a product is there.

Ami Rabheru: 00:14:27

Totally. And it's like beauty products and that's why they do so much better. In physical retail because the customer wants to try things. They want to see, you know, they want to touch and feel and put things on their skin and to see how it feels and yeah, it's like scents as well, like candles and home fragrance.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:14:44

Yeah.

Ami Rabheru: 00:14:45

You know, so, so there's some products that struggled online. But yeah, most definitely a great way is to start, at least connect customer journeys and, you know, a part of your strategy to be physical retail in some way, shape, or form.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:14:59

And this feels like a really nice option if you are for whatever reason, not quite ready to think about wholesaling your products, but you'd like to see how well they do in a store, um, what feedback you get from customers. I think that's, could, this could be a really nice way of testing the waters, I suppose.

Ami Rabheru: 00:15:14

Yeah, it is. And you know, to your point, um, Vicki, they are absolutely great for allowing businesses to test not only new products, but also to test new markets. And to gather that kind of information on consumer behavior and how people, you know, how what people are saying about your products firsthand before investing into new products. Um, you know, again, it enables the brands to test things before they have to invest in a new range or anything like that. Um, and of course they're, they're cost effective as well. Um, you know, if you want a physical presence, they're going to be way more cost effective than a traditional brick and mortar stall as they obviously require less overhead and they can be turned around in a short amount of time. Allowing that business to have that all important agility. Um, and it makes them great for smaller brands and also online pure play retailers. You know, that's the other thing we didn't really talk about. Um, you know, where, um, we're seeing a lot of whether e-commerce workshops is the right word, but a lot of, you know, essentially a model where online pure play retailers are looking to bring their digital presence into the real world. And it's a great strategy to engage and connect customer journeys. And this type of model can be a mix of pop up, um, or, or, or just where they're creating some really great experiential type campaigns. We've seen a lot of that where they're not actually selling goods, but they're just creating, engaging, um, experiences for customers, which is becoming more and more popular and a very, very exciting way to rethink retail.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:16:52

Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm a hundred percent convinced. I think it's a great option. So how might we go about finding opportunities for pop-up shops? I mean, you mentioned that there's obviously one way is that you collaborate with other brands and you arrange something yourself. Um, so let's start there. If that's something someone were interested in. How might you go about actually doing that?

Ami Rabheru: 00:17:15

Yeah. So I think to find popup shops opportunities, I think, um, yeah, do start by researching local events and brands or markets. Ask your fellow, fellow small businesses, and of course social media is going to be the number one way to find out what's going on, not just locally, but nationally. Um, also by customer demographics. I think that's one of the key considerations really when you are thinking about, um, a, a, a pop-up shop. Um, and obviously the internet's a great way to find opportunities as well.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:17:44

Thank you. And so we talked about all the different ways these are run, the kind of different models, whether that's from payments or how you get your stock there or whether you get to do your own merchandising. Um, what are some of the things you think people need to know before you say, yes, I'm going to sign the contracts and put my products into this store? What are some of the things that you need to be really clear on would you say.

Ami Rabheru: 00:18:05

Yeah, and I think, uh, what a lot of brands miss, um, on this, Vicki, it's a really good point, is actually having a really clear strategy. Um, you know, or, or at least to have someone help you with your retail strategy for your popup shop. Too many brands go into pop-up shops blind, and then they don't come out with the results that they imagine that they would get. So firstly, I would say that you absolutely have to consider from all the formats that we talked about, all the different ways and all the different models. Um, decide on which type of pop-up shop you would like to do. Um, you know, you'll, you'll decide on that depending on what kind of brand you are, uh, and what kind of complimentary collaborations you can find. Um, absolutely. Really, really important is location and, um, the target demographic that is around that location for the event. Um, it's also important, particularly if you are renting an existing retail shop like space, um, then it's really important to look at the kind of foot traffic that you would get because, you know, you don't want to do all the advertising yourself, especially if you are renting an existing space because you are likely to be paying a premium for that. And of course, things like. Looking at your budget, um, determining your budget for the pop-up shop. And don't forget things like, uh, obviously there's the cost of renting, which is the biggest cost, but don't forget the, the costs for space decor, uh, and your marketing plan as well, because that marketing is the second biggest cost they can have. And I think just in my general, you know, just from erm experience is, treat it like a new project in your business. Look at things like you know exactly how you would if you were do running, you know, working out a business plan. You would look at your local competition in your product category. Consider your brand positioning within that place and how your competition might affect your product ranging pricing and promotions.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:20:02

Thank you. And when you spoke about competition, a a question pops into my head, which I'm sorry, because this only just came to me, so you're not going to be prepared for this one, Ami, I should warn you. It just occurred to me. Would, um, would something be to consider what other brands and products might be in the same store as you? The reason I ask this is, I remember years ago there used to be a range of popups that used to happen local to where I live. They used to be once a month, I think. And, um, it was like a, it was more like a market. Really. Really.

Ami Rabheru: 00:20:29

Yeah.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:20:29

Different brands could have a store to sell their products. And I remember there was, um, I don't want to say an issue, but there was definitely a situation where the organizer of the event was having to limit the number of brands selling certain products. So for example, where an event has happened and there were five people selling candles, and apparently afterwards all of those people said, well, we shouldn't have all been here because we're all selling essentially the same thing. I mean, good to know your take on that anyway. Um. But I, I remember that these events became so strict that you could only have one person selling candles and one person selling jewellery, and it kind of went down that route, which was interesting. Um, so I'd love to know your thoughts on that, whether it's okay to be, you know, in a category where there'll be lots of people selling similar products, whether you would steer clear with that. And I'm sure the answer's somewhere in between, but I'm just quite curious to what you think.

Ami Rabheru: 00:21:20

Yeah, no, it's, it's, it's a problem that I come across a lot and it's actually a problem that I, um, help. Um, people who are doing pop-up shops, you know, brands and businesses, and it's something I actually consult on because it is a real problem. Um, and what, what, what ends up happening is the brands who are taking part feel hard done by, because there are too many x amount of brands selling jewellery or candles or, you know, some of those popular categories. And that happens a lot, a lot, a lot. And really, you know, if you want to run a successful popup shop that you are curating, you need to fit those factors. It's really, really important. You know, when you're create, when you're curating a product range, you've got to think like a retailer, and that's why a retail strategy becomes really, really important. So, yes, I would, you know, if, if I was a brand, I think, you know, on the flip, you know, flipping that question, I would really, really, you know, ask those sorts of questions to the curator and ask them what their strategy is. To make sure that there isn't product overlap, that we're not cannibalizing each other. Um, you know, how do they decide on how many different brands, sorry, how many brands that they have in the same category. I think those are all really important questions to ask because it could make or break the success of your participation in a pop-up shop, and it's not fair.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:22:39

Absolutely. I mean, that, that was definitely the sense I got from these events, that people were very upset and you can, you can understand why, because I'm sure that everyone missed out of that, which is a shame. Um, is there anything else that we need to know or do perhaps before we sell our products in a pop-up shop? It's seeming to me like information is key, so we need to make sure we're really prepared and we know the setup. We know how we're going to be paid. We know what's expected of us. We know who else is there. Um, is there anything else we need to know? And yeah, anything we need to do and prepare.

Ami Rabheru: 00:23:09

Yeah, I think something that you touched on earlier was logistics, actually, which is a really good point. And yes, I was driving around in a van, I know that made you laugh. Um, but yeah, no, it's, I think it's really important to consider. Not only logistics, but the costs associated with it as well. Um, so, you know, knowing that upfront and building that into your cost strategy and your, uh, your plans will, will help you to work out what success might look like in terms of your profit goals, um, and, and how you're going to manage stock. Um, how, and if it's a long-term pop-up shop, how are you going to manage inventory in terms of restocking um, your products and all that kind of thing, because that then becomes important, particularly in a long term popup shop.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:23:58

Absolutely. And I guess some of this plays into whether it's even viable, um, because it might be that actually the cost of having this space is X amount. But then when you look at actually you've got to do the merchandising and you have to do, you know, you have to do. Get your products there and you know that it could end up being that actually it's not a viable option.

Ami Rabheru: 00:24:17

Yeah.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:24:18

Um, in some situations, because of course as you said, I think pop-up shops are, they seem to be popping, excuse the pun, but they seem to be popping up everywhere. So I'm not saying that pop-ups in general might not be viable, um, but it might be that not every opportunity is viable for everyone.

Ami Rabheru: 00:24:34

Yeah. Yeah, and like I said, Vicki, this is the setup of pop-up shops, particularly for those who are curating and leading pop-up shops. It is starting to become a bit more sophisticated in that, um, you know, they are able to take on stock, manage it, warehouse it, and, and and things like that. So it is starting to become more sophisticated. There will be more sophisticated operations out there now. Um, so again, it just depends what you, what you end up finding and where you want, want to go with it and what model you want to go with.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:25:06

That's really interesting. And as they're getting more sophisticated, does that mean they're getting more expensive or not necessarily?

Ami Rabheru: 00:25:12

Um, probably, because it is, um, essentially, um, somebody else is managing all of the logistics for you. Um, but, but what it, what it, it's kind of twofold. It's kind of beneficial for the brand, but it's also beneficial for the curator of the pop-up shop because the curator never wants to run out of stock. Um, and they want to understand their strategy. And this is the kind of thing that I'm consulting on at the moment with some brands and they want to be able to control some of that, you know? And it's very hard, particularly when you are a small brand, to control what's coming in, what's going out, how much stock do I need to save for the pop-up shop, you know, all, all that kind of thing. So I think this is driven from, um, the curators really of wanting more control, but it definitely does benefit the brand as well in terms of, well, they'll, they'll probably get payment upfront and, um, you know, the, the, the, the, the pop up shop organizer is starting to run it more like, uh, a, a retail shop, um, and thinking about it in a more sophisticated way.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:26:20

And hopefully, yeah. And hopefully that means that the creator's also doing some advertising around the shop and things like that.

Ami Rabheru: 00:26:26

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, there's a whole strategy around, um, you know, building out that marketing plan and what that could look like. Yeah.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:26:34

And as someone who might, you know, be taking space in a pop-up shop, what do you think your role is in that instance in terms of the marketing? Um, because I'm assuming that you still want to be, you know, you, you still want to be advertising the fact that you, you know, there is a pop-up and that your shops are, and that your products are available. Would you say?

Ami Rabheru: 00:26:52

Yeah. And I think it's a really important strategy to be involved in the marketing and it's great for, again, it's great for both, uh, retailer and brand. Um, it helps you build your brand awareness and there's nothing like a great collaborative marketing plan that will help brands to, um. You know, acquire more customers and to, um, be able to build, build out their brand awareness. So yeah, a marketing plan's really important and it's important to be, you know, a, a good curator will involve all of the brands involved, um, to be part of the marketing campaign for them, because that will drive audience, it will drive traffic to the pop-up shop as well, which also becomes important as well.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:27:36

Amazing. Thank you. So you've definitely given us some good tips whether you are looking to sort of place your products in existing popup or maybe even run your own. Is there, are there any final things you'd like to add for anyone thinking, well actually I'm not going to look for space. I'm actually going to do this myself. I'm going to find other businesses. I'm going to collaborate. I'm going to, yeah. You know, I'm going to do this because I am, I'm certain there'll be people listening who think, yeah, I fancy doing this. Um, what's any other advice you would give to people in that situation?

Ami Rabheru: 00:28:07

Yeah you absolutely Can run your own pop up. You know, you, you know. It, it does take, um, a lot more preparation, organization and coordination as well. So you definitely need something, you definitely need a strategy for it. And, um, you need to be able to determine your goals upfront, your sales targets, financial, stock management, all of that kind of thing, if you want to. Um, depends on what level you are doing it really, but, um. The, the sort of KPIs become really important for the success of your pop-up shop if you're doing it yourself. Uh, because you want it to pay off not just for yourself, but also, um, you then start taking on the responsibility of, it's got to work for the brands that you're collaborating with as well. Um, and, and so that becomes really important. Transparency, collaboration, all of those kind of things become super important when you are starting to run your own.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:29:01

Thank you. And is there anything else that people particularly have to do or know, um, before, before running your own? Is there anything, um, I'm trying to think of, of what I'm trying to think for examples, but, um.

Ami Rabheru: 00:29:13

Yeah, we talked about product, didn't we, Vicki? Um, About putting your products in pop-up shops as well. And I think, um, you know, brands, particularly when they're, when they are doing pop-up shops for the first time, um, it's really important to really think about, um, what your products are going to look like in that space. Um, and and I, and I always say to brands that. Start by looking at how other retailers, and I always come at it from a retail buyer because that's what you know, in my heart of heart, that's what I am. Um, how other retailers are buying their products for their customers in your particular product category. And that's a great way to start building out your range for a pop-up shop. And if you think about it, retail retailers or retail buyers job is to ensure that they have built this commercially balanced range offering that, um, just the right amount of choice. Balanced with enough excitement to draw customers in. Um, and enough of the core items, which essentially are the bread and butter for the retailer. And this balance of art and science forms a really big foundational part of your retail strategy, and it becomes your plan for what's going to bring the money in and help you to hit your sales targets and profit targets at the popup shop. So when you're pushing your range together for a popup, Some of the same principles apply, you know, when you think, when you're thinking like a retailer. Um, and, and, and you must sort of consider those kind of things as well.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:30:46

That's so helpful. Thank you. I'm trying to think if there's anything we haven't covered Ami, I think we covered a lot of ground in this last half an hour. I'm trying to think, is there anything that, that we haven't spoken about? Um, no, I think, I think that could be it, Ami, unless there's anything else, is there anything else that you wanted to share with us that I haven't asked you because I think we've got a lot out of you.

Ami Rabheru: 00:31:07

Yeah, no, I think, um, you know, just in terms of following on from the product, um, conversation that we just had, another great tip that I, and I say this a lot, is less, is more your ranging has to look visually appealing to the customer, not like a jumble sale, especially if you have a large product assortment. Don't be tempted to take everything. When you give customers too much to look at, you could leave them overwhelmed and confused. So you really should be showing them attention grabbing statements in a memorable way. So you should be almost like you're telling them what they need to buy from you. So planning your space well becomes really, really important. Um, popups are also great for creating that sense of urgency for customers to buy from you. So make sure that you are really thinking about your pricing and particularly your promotions, um, to incentivize customers to purchase products and maybe even come back and buy some more. And the other thing that we touched on as well is so much of retail is about experiences. So consider how you can create experiences for your customers to help you really stand out from the crowd and the competition around you, particularly if it's a big, kind of a pop-up shop. Um, so yeah, some of those things are really important too.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:32:37

That's really useful. Thank you. And I think this will probably apply more if you are curating a pop-up. So you're arranging your own and you're inviting other brands in. But um, I'm assuming that there are people out there that you can get to help with things like merchandising. So for example, if I were to run a pop-up shop, I think I could find businesses. I don't think I have a problem with that. Find the space. Yes. Um, what I know I would really struggle with is making it look nice. Are there people that you can find to help you with aspects like that, because I think if you're not a creative person, which I'm creative in some ways, but um, and I'm not going to run a pop-up shop at, well, no, it's not immediate plan anyway. I'm asking this purely for anyone else out there in the same situation who thinks, you know, the only thing holding me back is I've got no idea how to set up a shop.

Ami Rabheru: 00:33:20

Yeah. Um, it's something I'm not, don't mean to blow my own trumpet, Vicki, but it is something that I help businesses with. Um, more, more, more so bigger businesses. But it's something that I can certainly help with. Um, and I think it's really important again, you know, to plan your space. Well consider graphics, p os marketing messages, but also your product range in, um, you know, what your good, better, best looks like, what your product range looks like. Make sure it's not cannibalizing each other and all of that. Is it form, you know, forms part of a retail strategy. Um, and um, yeah, that's something that, um, I'm sure there's many people that can help with, but it's definitely something that I help with.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:33:57

Um, Well, amazing Ami. Thank you. And you should blow your trumpet. That is one of the reasons you're here to blow your trumpet.

Ami Rabheru: 00:34:03

Thank you.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:34:05

So never be shy.

Ami Rabheru: 00:34:06

Bless you. Thank you.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:34:07

That is good to know and you have given so much good advice. I'm sure if someone has any questions, um, I'm sure you're happy for people to contact you if there's any.

Ami Rabheru: 00:34:13

Yeah, absolutely.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:34:14

On this.

Ami Rabheru: 00:34:15

Yeah, of course.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:34:16

Okay, amazing. So I've got one final question before we finish Ami, what would your number one piece of advice be when it comes to pop-up shops? What's the key takeaway?

Ami Rabheru: 00:34:26

Um, I think the key takeaway is absolutely plan your goals. So many people go into pop-up shops without really planning what they think they might get out of it. Um, and then it doesn't go so well for them.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:34:43

That's amazing. Thank you. What is it? Yeah, that was really good advice. I think that probably goes for. Yeah. 99 cent things, doesn't it? And that's really useful because I can, yeah, I've, as I said, I've been in a number of pop-up shops, never planned one of them.

Ami Rabheru: 00:34:59

My own story at the beginning tells you I didn't really plan it, but you know, experience has taught me that.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:35:04

That's absolutely, yeah, we learn these things from experience. Thank you so much, Ami.

Ami Rabheru: 00:35:11

Take care Vicki.

Vicki Weinberg: 00:35:13

Thank you so much for listening right to the end of this episode. Do remember that you can get the full back catalogue and lots of free resources on my website, vicki weinberg.com. Please do remember to rate and review this episode if you've enjoyed it, and also share it with a friend who you think might find it useful. Thank you again and see you next week.