By Tom Blackett
Clubs including Brighton, Norwich and Ipswich Town are currently leading the way with a striking new way to make extra merchandising sales.
Using innovative branded shops, created by Pop-Up Banners, clubs can alleviate pressure from the store, while merchandising Match Day products at various points in the stadium.
Standing tall at 3 metres in height, and fully branded in the club's colours, these portable shops create a striking visual appearance. As well as creating additional sales units, suitable for both indoor or outdoor use, the Pop-Up Shops can also serve as a branded meeting point, collection or drop-off zone, or simply highlight a club's presence at a local event. Easy to put up and break down, the units take up minimal storage space compared to other alternatives, such as gazebos or permanent kiosks.
And here's the big secret: they are also affordable. Kayleigh Coverdale, Head of Retail at Norwich FC said she already knew it had been the right use of her marketing budget:
‘The Pop-Up Shops are a really easy convenient way to maximise on sales, we recouped our investment back on these within 3 Home Matches.'
Marc Dring, Brighton FC said he had first spotted the Pop-Up Shop at Ipswich Town in their Fanzone. He went on to buy his own branded shop to use at local events, finding it both easy to construct and visually impactful. He sees the need for more shops as part of his future activities:
‘Pop-Up Banners offers a straightforward and easy ordering process. I'll definitely be ordering again soon.'
Sean Berrell, Managing Director of Pop-Up Banners confirmed: ‘We're delighted to be talking to sports clubs up and down the country, from local football schools and student unions, to well-known rugby and football clubs, and national sporting bodies. Our Pop-Up Banners have been popular branding tools for nearly 20 years but the Pop-Up Shop is our most recent innovation. It's fantastic that club owners are coming across our shops at away matches and getting in touch to order their own. We really are building our presence and look forward to the rise in popularity of this product too.'
Creating extra merchandising opportunities is not limited to the sporting world. Earlier this month, the RAF, celebrating its 100 year anniversary this year, maximised their souvenir programme and branded merchandise sales over a huge area using eleven Pop-Up Shops across the Royal International Air Tattoo in RAF Fairford. Joanna Vaughan, Merchandise Executive for the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, says it takes just two hours to erect all eleven units:
‘Having a tall person comes in handy when we put the dome on the base! We mainly use them for selling souvenir programmes and merchandise, as the height makes them easy for customers to spot and navigate towards. We keep the bulk of our stock in a small van nearby to keep it secure, but there is plenty of room in the Pop-Up Shop for our sales team and stock. The shops provide a clear focal point for customers, meaning that they can see it even in a crowd.'
From Nature Valley product sampling at Eastbourne International Tennis, to t-shirt collection at Bath Student Union, to outdoor sales of Guinness, look out for Pop-Up Shops at an event near you, very shortly.
For more information on Pop-Up Shops, printed banners, flags and other branded merchandise, please contact Sean Berrell or his team on 0845 601 4413 or visit www.pop-upbanners.com.
