Pop-Up vs. On-Demand: Choosing the Right Online Merchandise Store

Branded merchandise helps companies, schools community organizations to bring in additional income and spread brand awareness. The most popular way to achieve it is by creating an online merchandise store. In this blog post, we will discuss the different ways we can help you to set up an online merch store: pop-up and on-demand company store.

What is an Online Pop-Up Store?

In retail we see a lot of pop-up stores from brands who launch a new product, or a limited edition for a short amount of time. It usually generate a lot of buzz, with its eye-catching decor and setup, and also it creates a sense of urgency to visit before it closes down. An online pop-up store can be used for special edition items, holiday gift shop, fundraising etc.

An online pop-up store works in the same way: an online store that is open for a limited amount of time, with a handful of products. It creates an excitement for the community to shop immediately because the product may not be available again for awhile. Most of the time, there is no inventory kept, after a pop-up store closes the order total from each item will be tallied, then sent to production. It usually will take 2-3 weeks for the items to be produced and shipped. The recommended minimum sales for an online pop-up store is about $3,000.

What are the Pros and Cons of an Online Pop-Up Store?

Pros of an online pop-up store:

• easy to set up due to small number of items for sale
• small up front costs because the items are not produced until the shop closes
• new styles can be introduced when pop-up stores are launched
• no inventory is kept
• price per item will be lower because they are run in bulk after shop closes rather than on-demand

Cons of an online pop-up store:

• customers will wait at least 2-3 weeks to receive their orders
• there are usually a few items or less available for sale

Who will Benefit from an Online Pop-Up Store?

• companies or organizations that are starting out to offer merchandise, it is a great way to test it out to see order volume
• those who do not have the manpower, space or technology to maintain a merch store
• those who do not have a budget for extensive store and design setup
• those who want to introduce new styles frequently

What is an On-Demand Company Store?

An on-demand company store stays open all year long, similar to a retail store. It has a wide variety of items from apparel, awards, office items etc depending on the nature of the company/organization that it supports. The main difference between a pop-up store and on-demand store is that items in on-demand store are produced as the orders are placed instead of when the pop-up stores close. The difference uses of an on-demand company store include awards and recognition, uniform distribution, company merch etc. The recommended annual minimum sales for an online company store is about $20,000.

What are the Pros and Cons of an On-Demand Company Store?

Pros of an on-demand company store:

• customers may not wait long for delivery because items are produced on-demand
• no inventory is kept
• there is usually a wide selection of items in store
• there is no time limit of how long the store is open

Cons of an on-demand company store:

• a higher initial setup due to number of items in store
• a monthly maintenance fee is charged to keep store running
• on-demand items may be more expensive than pop-up store items that are run in bulk
• certain items are not available to produced on-demand

Who will Benefit from an On-Demand Company Store?

• companies or organizations that have a history of running pop-up or other company stores in the past
• those who do not have the manpower, space or technology to maintain a merch store
• those who have a higher sales volume that will justify the cost of monthly maintenance
• those who serve a larger audience
• those who want to offer a wide variety of items

Marketing the Store

We can help you build a great store and stock it with wonderful items that your target audience wants, but the most important part comes next, marketing the store! An online store needs to be promoted, advertised regularly to be successful. Take a look at our guide on how to market your online store. We also have some suggestions on how to design a great looking t-shirt, too!

Ready to Start a Store?

Have questions or ready to start an online store? Schedule a meeting with one of our experts today.