From seasonal stores to pop up retail for intermittent events, companies can use multi-functional cellular routers to support their evolving networking needs
Pop up stores, or "temporary retail spaces," are one of the hottest trends in retail. According to one estimate, pop up shops generate $80 billion a year in revenue, and that figure is expected to grow to $95 billion this year.
The idea behind pop up stores is simple: instead of waiting for the customers to come to you, you go to where the customers are.
Pop up store examples can be anything from a one-person booth at a farmer's market to a fully staffed 5,000-square-foot store in a mall.
Pop up shops also can be used to give a location a "test drive," to gauge market reaction to a new product offering, or to try and generate attention for a company's brand.
Some pop up stores, such as retailers setting up at the finish line of a running or cycling race, might only be in business for a few hours. Others, such as a seasonal store in a mall — think Halloween or Christmas — might be in business for a few weeks. The typical life span of a pop up store is 3 to 14 days. The common denominator in pop up shops is that they are temporary: here today, gone tomorrow. As such, they come with unique IT challenges.
The unique IT needs of pop up stores
Almost all pop ups share two characteristics:
- They need internet connectivity, to support point-of-sale (POS) terminals if nothing else. We are rapidly becoming a cashless society. Approximately 41% of Americans report they do not use cash for any purchases in a typical week, meaning they probably don't carry cash either.
- They need to have reliable and fast connectivity available starting the first minute the store opens until close on the last day of operation. If a store that is only in existence for three days loses a day of revenue because of no connectivity, it is a major hit to the profitability of the entire venture.
Beyond those two things, the exact needs of a particular pop up store will vary depending on the type of business. A one-person booth at a flea market might not need anything other than a cellular-enabled mobile POS terminal.
Bigger operations will have bigger IT needs. While a retail outlet staffed by a team of four at the finish line of a marathon will have different needs than a large seasonal store in a mall, there are a few common elements here as well:
- There should be no compromise on the customer experience. Customers will expect the same level of service they get in your fixed store.
- The IT setup should be staff friendly. As much as possible, use the same equipment and systems in the pop up that you use in your regular fixed locations.
- The setup should support your normal business needs — inventory management, customer data collection tools, etc.
- There may be additional demands on the pop up store that you don't have in your fixed locations. For example, supporting features such as digital signage or security cameras.
Connectivity alternatives for pop up shops
The three main alternatives for network connectivity for pop ups are wired (or fiber), cellular, and satellite. For any location without wired internet available, such as the typical farmer's market or race finish line, cellular is clearly the connectivity alternative of choice. It not only offers greater bandwidth, but the cost of both the service and the equipment will be less than a satellite connection.
But what about a seasonal store in a mall? Even though wired or fiber connections may be available, cellular could be a better choice. Lead times to get the fixed connection turned on may not work with your tight schedule. It may be expensive to pay for installation and setup as well as a month's service for a store that will only be there a week. A good strategy in a location such as a mall can be to plan on using a wired connection with cellular backup. In the event there are any delays in getting the fixed service operational, you can still be in business on day one with the cellular connection, and you then have the cellular connection available as a failover in case there is an outage with the fixed internet provider.
Features to look for in pop up shop IT solutions
Given the preceding needs, these are potentially useful features to look for in IT infrastructure for pop up stores:
- Multiple SIM cards in a single router. You can activate cellular service with whichever one has better coverage at your location, or activate both and use one as a failover option.
- Embedded ESIMs. This can make setup much faster and easier.
- Carrier selection intelligence. Ability to determine which cellular carrier has the best signal in a given location.
- Strong security. Along with credit card information, in some cases — such as a pop up tax return branch or pop up health clinic — transmission of very sensitive personal data may be involved.
- Ability to preconfigure. It can make life easier if your IT professionals in the office can preconfigure the equipment, so that a non-techie person on site can easily turn it on and set it up.
- Ruggedized equipment. This is especially useful for equipment that may be located outdoors, or that is frequently shipped to different locations.
- Five-star customer support. If you do have a technical problem on setup, you want to be able to reach a knowledgeable human without going through voice response hell to get there.