Key takeaways
- Markets and pop-ups are ideal for testing your products and brand.
- Take mobile payments with you and link sales to your stock.
- Collect email addresses to bring visitors back later.
- Microcart brings your sales on the market and webshop together in one overview.
A stall on the market or a temporary pop-up is one of the nicest and cheapest ways to test your products — and to grow your webshop. You come face to face with your customers, hear immediately what they think, and sell immediately, without shipping costs or waiting. With a few smart choices you can create new webshop customers every market day. This guide will walk you through it step by step.
Why markets and pop-ups are so valuable
- Direct contact — you hear first-hand what appeals to people, what questions they have and which product is left behind. That's free market research.
- Cheap testing — a stall costs little compared to advertisements or your own building. Ideal for trying out a new product before purchasing in bulk.
- Sell directly — you pay immediately, without shipping costs or delivery.
- Brand awareness — people meet your brand in real life, feel the product, and remember you.
An example
You make candles and spend a Saturday at a local market. You sell a nice number, but they are just as valuable: you hear that people keep asking for one particular scent (which you are now going to buy in bulk), and thirty visitors scan your QR code for a 10% discount on their first online order. Two weeks later, those online orders are trickling in — from people you would never have reached without that market day. The market day not only sold candles, but also fed your webshop.
Make sure you can pay anywhere
Hardly anyone has cash in their pockets anymore. Make sure you can pay on your mobile — with a small PIN device or a payment solution on your phone, so that customers can pay with PIN or their phone. A missed sale because someone cannot pay by card is a shame. In addition, keep some change on hand for those who pay in cash.
What are you taking with you? A short checklist
- sufficient stock of your expected toppers (and some of the rest);
- your debit card solution (charged) and change;
- a striking stall: your logo, price tags, atmosphere;
- cards or flyers with your webshop and social;
- a sign with QR code to your webshop and your registration campaign;
- bags or packaging, and pen and paper.
Keep your inventory current
What you sell at the market must be removed from your total stock — otherwise you will accidentally sell it online again in the evening. Therefore, work with one stock that keeps track of both your stall and your webshop, so that everything is always correct, regardless of which channel you sell on. More about this in stock management and sell in your store, where the cash register and webshop draw from the same stock.
Turn visitors into webshop customers
This is where most market sellers miss opportunities. Not everyone buys on the day — but you can reach them again later:
- put a sign or QR code at your stall that links to your webshop;
- collect email addresses with a small promotion ("10% off your first online order") so you can get them back — see building an email list;
- put a card with your webshop and social in each bag;
- Just tell people who are in doubt: “It is also in my webshop, so you can view it at home.”
This way, every market day continues to work for you even after that day.
Set up a pop-up
A pop-up is a temporary store — in a prominent location for a few days or weeks. It works well to celebrate a launch, a season (Christmas!) or a collaboration. A few tips:
- announce it in advance via your social and email list, so that people come;
- choose a place where your target group already comes (a busy street, an existing building that is temporarily vacant, an event);
- make it an event — an opening moment, something to taste, a discount promotion;
- combine with your webshop: what people see but do not take with them, they order online. So make sure your QR code and tickets are everywhere.
Market prices
In principle, keep your market prices the same as your webshop, so that customers do not feel taken advantage of when they see it online later. If you want to do a market discount or a “today only” promotion, that's fine — but make it a conscious, clear choice.
Common mistakes
- Not being able to use your debit card and therefore missing out on sales.
- Do not debit your market stock from your webshop stock.
- No way to contact visitors again later (no QR, no email, no card).
- Do not announce a pop-up in advance, so that few people come.
- Different prices than online without explanation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a card reader on the market?
Practically yes. Most people don't have cash; With mobile debit card or a payment solution on your phone you won't miss any sales. Have some change on hand.
How do I keep my stock current?
Work with one stock that keeps track of both your stall and your webshop, so that what you sell at the market is automatically deducted from your online stock.
How do I turn market visitors into webshop customers?
With a QR code to your shop, a card in every bag and a small campaign to collect email addresses so that you can reach them later.
What exactly is a pop-up?
A temporary store in a prominent location, for a few days or weeks. Ideal for a launch or season. Announce it in advance via social media and email.
Is a market or pop-up suitable to start?
Very suitable: it is cheap, you test your product in real life and you receive immediate feedback from customers — and it fuels your webshop.
Do I have to charge the same prices as online?
Usually yes, just to be clear. A deliberate market action is possible, but explain it clearly.
Get started
Arrange mobile checkout, ensure that your market stock and webshop stock are one whole, and take a QR code and cards with you to direct visitors to your webshop. Collect email addresses for later. This way you can sell on the day itself and expand your webshop. If you are still starting from scratch, view the step-by-step plan to start an online store.
