The future of pop-up markets in the age of pandemic

Nothing compares with online sales when it comes to low-friction transactions.

Get order, pack order, place order for pickup by postal carrier.

Compare that with a pop-up market, which starts with figuring out what to bring. Some of our tees (the Pennsylvania-oriented ones, namely) can go anywhere we go in the Keystone State, but, for instance, we typically don’t bring York tees to shows in Lancaster. So every appearance requires an educated selecting of inventory.

Then there’s loading up at the Stay global headquarters, transporting and unloading at the event. There are plastic tubs full of tees, crates and mannequin torsos, tables and table covers. When we’re outside, add a 10-by-10-foot tent and tent weights filled with sand.

For good measure, pile on the potential for high winds, heat or humidity.

Connecting with customers

And yet, for all the additional hassles of pop-up events, they’re crucial to our relatively fledgling business and for connecting with customers. Which is why the coronavirus is such a concern as we look to the eventual return of our appearance schedule, dormant since the Harrisburg Flea on March 7.

As with nearly all aspects of post-pandemic life, pop-ups will never be the same. We’re not even sure when they will return given the flurry of (justified) postponements and outright cancellations that have decimated our spring calendar.

That first show back will be bittersweet, no doubt, filled with a sense of triumph and trepidation. We’ll be eager to see fellow vendors and customers alike, and maybe a little unsure of how best to interact with them safely.

How close to one another will vendors set up tables and tents? Will customers be asked to line up at a distance, according to markings on the floor or ground? Will everyone be wearing masks?

Dirty cash and credit cards

Transactions will change given the hyper-awareness of germs and how dirty cash and credit cards are. At the very least, Stay probably will remove the signature requirement on credit card transactions to speed up the process and limit the amount of credit card handling.

I once lost a sale because at the time I didn’t think I could accept contactless payments with a Square reader. In my two and a half years of doing shows, I can think of only a few transactions involving Apple Pay, such has been its slow adoption in the United States.

I suspect that’s going to change; contactless payment seems like the best option in the era of social distancing.

These many weeks between shows have left me yearning for packing and setting up, meeting people and introducing them to the Stay brand.

I miss pretty much everything about the shows, especially compared with the new normal.

It’s just the humidity I could live without.