Temporary online stores have become appealing options in Italy. With a temporary online store, you can try out a business idea, introduce a new product, or run focused, short-term sales without setting up a permanent ecommerce site. This article explains temporary online stores, including their benefits, differences from physical pop-up stores, and how to open one while following Italian laws.

What’s in this article?

• What is a temporary online store?
  
• What are the advantages of a temporary online store?
  
• Differences between temporary online stores and physical pop-up stores
  
• Starting a temporary online store
  
• Choosing the right platform to start a temporary online store
  
• Advertising a temporary online store
  
• Performance indicators of a temporary online store
  

What is a temporary online store?

A temporary store—or pop-up store—is a retail space that operates for a short time, typically ranging from a few weeks to six months. These stores are often set up to offer exclusive products or services that aren’t easily available through regular retail channels. Temporary stores often feature limited-edition products or customized items.

While the term is usually associated with physical stores, online stores can also be temporary. Temporary online stores are a great way for businesses to test the market and evaluate the potential of a specific offer before committing to a full-time ecommerce site.

What are the advantages of a temporary online store?

Setting up a temporary online store in Italy can help a business try out a concept, boost brand visibility, and drive quick sales without the usual regulations of a long-term business. This business model fits well with today’s developments in ecommerce, where flexibility, speed, and adaptability are key. Here are some benefits of starting a temporary online store in the Italian market:

• Keep startup costs low
  Unlike standard ecommerce, a temporary online store operates for a short time, which keeps development, management, and marketing costs low. There’s no need for big, up-front spending. Instead, you can rely on ready-to-use platforms and templates, concentrating just on the basics.

• Try out a product or explore a new market
  A temporary online store can be a good choice if you’re looking to introduce a new product or break into a new market. It lets you quickly measure customer reactions, gather data, and fine-tune your offer before scaling up.

• Build excitement and appeal
  Because the store is only open for a short time, it creates a feeling of urgency. This can encourage customers to make purchases before the opportunity ends. This kind of psychological motivation can greatly boost the conversion rate.

• Increase brand awareness
  Starting a temporary online store can be an effective marketing move for generating interest around your brand and strengthening customer loyalty. It lets you craft interactive digital experiences that can also boost engagement on social media.

• Implement quickly and easily
  A fully functional online store can be operational in just a few days, ready to start selling. This quick setup lets you take advantage of trends, seasons, or special events—such as Black Friday or Christmas—without having to overhaul your main business.

• Gather useful data and feedback
  Each customer interaction is a chance to collect useful insights—such as preferences, buying habits, and responses to different offers. All of this data can be used for future marketing efforts or to decide whether to launch a full-time ecommerce site later.

Differences between temporary online stores and physical pop-up stores

Both physical pop-up stores and temporary online stores aim to deliver a limited-time shopping experience, but they differ greatly in operation, costs, and growth.

A physical pop-up store is an actual retail space open for a set time in a prime location, often in a high-traffic area or during a special event. It emphasizes hands-on experience, face-to-face interaction, visual appeal, and the element of surprise. However, unlike a temporary online store, it comes with higher costs for logistics, rent, setup, and staffing.

In contrast, a temporary online store can be launched quickly and affordably by using flexible ecommerce platforms and focused digital marketing. It can help with growing the business and lets you reach customers across Italy or internationally. It also enables more detailed data collection on buying preferences and behavior. However, it lacks the personal touch of a physical store and needs carefully planned digital strategies to generate a sense of urgency and exclusivity.

Differences between temporary online stores and physical pop-up stores

Starting a temporary online store

In Italy, physical pop-up stores have been an option for around 20 years, but the online versions have still not been widely explored by many businesses. Similar to physical pop-up stores, temporary online stores use a surprise factor and naturally grab the attention of online customers when promoted with strong campaigns. Customers often learn about temporary online stores through social media posts and try them out based on word of mouth.

If you were planning to open an online store but want to test the market first—or if you already have a physical store and want to try launching an online store—a temporary online store might be a useful solution. However, you might wonder how to start a temporary online store in Italy, including the need for a VAT number. We provide this information below.

Regulations for temporary online stores in Italy

First, it’s important to know that there are no specific regulations for temporary online stores in Italy. However, the general ecommerce regulations do apply:

• Legislative Decree 70/2003 implements the European directive on ecommerce.

• The Consumer Code (Legislative Decree 206/2005) includes regulations for customer protection and applies to online sales. Specifically, it governs the right of withdrawal, product warranties, precontract information, and unfair commercial practices.

• Legislative Decree 26 of March 7, 2023, implementing EU Directive 2019/2161, introduced additional changes to the Consumer Code, enhancing customer protection in ecommerce. Specifically, it introduced new rules regarding the transparency of online reviews, promotional sales, and price customization.

• The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) governs the processing of online users’ personal data, ensuring data privacy and security.

In addition, not all Italian municipalities permit the use of the temporary store model for ecommerce. It’s best to check with the One-Stop Business Advisory Center (Sportello Unico per le Attività Produttive, or SUAP) of the municipality where you plan to start the business. You can also check with your local municipality to see if and how temporary stores are allowed.

How do you start a temporary online store without a VAT number?

A temporary online store is a commercial activity, but if it operates for no more than 30 days in a year, it is considered occasional. Therefore, obtaining a VAT number is not required. However, if earnings exceed €5,000 during those 30 days, it’s mandatory to register with the Italian National Social Security Institute (INPS) for self-employed individuals and pay the required contributions. This registration is only needed for the amount over the threshold. For example, if you earn €7,000, you only pay contributions on the extra €2,000.

Without a VAT number, you can’t issue an invoice—only an optional sales receipt. Keep in mind that income from sales through a temporary online store is considered miscellaneous income and must be declared using Form 730 or the Income PF form for personal income.

When is a VAT number mandatory?

If the temporary online store operates for more than 30 days in a year, the activity might no longer be seen as occasional because it takes on a regular and ongoing nature. In this situation, the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) will assess on a case-by-case basis whether a VAT number is required. Consult your accountant to ensure your business aligns with legal requirements.

It’s important to note that temporary online stores will no longer be considered occasional if they are open for more than 30 days in a year. For example, if you open one for 20 days and then another for 20 more days in the same year, you’ve gone over the 30-day limit. Your store(s) can be viewed as a regular business. If this happens, you need to meet the requirements in Italy for starting a commercial business:

• Obtain a VAT number with Classification of Economic Activity (ATECO) code 47.91.10 (i.e., retail sale of any type of product via the internet), and choose the tax regime that fits your business. Many sellers choose the flat-rate regime, which applies a reduced 15% tax on taxable income, lowered to 5% for the first five years of business.

• Submit the SCIA.

• Register your business in the Business Register.

If you’re planning to start a digital product business, another key factor to think about is choosing a payment service provider. Selecting the right provider is important for managing payments efficiently and quickly, as well as for offering the most suitable payment methods for your business type. Solutions such as Stripe Payments, with its Optimized Checkout Suite, let you accept payments globally, both online and in person; boost conversion rates; and ensure compliance, saving thousands of hours of technical work.

Choosing the right platform to start a temporary online store

Picking the right platform for a temporary online store in Italy is key to making the project successful. Here are the main factors to take into account:

• Ease of use: The platform needs to be user-friendly and have a straightforward setup process. You should be able to build and customize the online store quickly and efficiently.

• Product management: The platform should let you upload and manage products easily, including images, descriptions, and prices.

• Payment methods: The platform must support the most popular online payment methods in Italy to help boost conversions.

• Shipping management: The platform should connect with major shippers to make delivery management easier.

• Mobile devices: The temporary online store must display properly on smartphones and tablets.

• Marketing tools: The platform should provide tools to market the temporary online store, such as discounts, coupons, and social media integration.

• Costs: Some platforms charge a monthly fee, while others take a commission on each sale. Also, look out for extra charges for added features or third-party app integrations.

• Customer support: The platform should provide reliable customer support that’s readily available when issues come up.

• Documentation and tutorials: There should be guides and tutorials available to help you navigate and use the platform.

• Analytics tools: These tools help you track sales and understand customer behavior.

Advertising a temporary online store

Once you launch your temporary online store, its success can rely on a focused marketing strategy and thorough performance analysis. Because the initiative is short-term, promotion should be quick, impactful, and focused on bringing in paying customers.

For a temporary online store, creating a sense of urgency is a strong promotional tactic. You can use phrases to encourage quick action—such as, “limited time only,” “a few days only,” or “exclusive offer until Saturday.” Consider using digital channels such as social media, email marketing, and paid online ads.

You can use marketing automation tools to remind visitors who abandon their carts and to share countdowns leading up to the store’s closing. Build a clean, mobile-friendly landing page focused on driving sales.

Performance indicators of a temporary online store

It’s important to track performance metrics to see how the temporary online store is doing and evaluate its overall success. Some of the key indicators are:

• Conversion rate: Percentage of visitors who make a purchase

• Daily traffic: Number of visitors to the temporary online store and where they come from

• Customer acquisition cost: Average cost of acquiring each customer

• Average order value: Average amount spent by customers

• Click-through rate: Percentage of visitors who click on an ad or link

• Return on advertising spend (ROAS): Measures how effective an ad campaign is by dividing total sales by the cost of the campaign

By closely tracking these indicators, you can get a full picture of how the temporary online store is performing and make decisions about whether to launch a permanent one later.