This guide describes the current pilot and will grow as new features are added.
Is NeoPop Shop a real shop? No. Every brand, product, review, price, discount, order and stock message is fictional. Nothing is charged or delivered.
How do I report a problem or suggest something? Press Contact us in the footer and write your message. There is no account to make and no name to give. If you would like a reply, add an email address; otherwise leave it empty. Your message is stored privately, read by a person, and deleted after 90 days. Please don't include your save phrase.
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What are Sparks? Sparks are the shop's invented collection currency. They cannot be bought, sold, withdrawn or exchanged for money. The Spark Tap and Staff Door shifts provide more Sparks.
What is the Spark tab? Nothing in the shop is ever out of reach. If a haul costs more than the Sparks in your wallet, the rest goes on your tab. The tab has no interest, no deadline and no penalty, and nothing is ever locked. Anything you earn pays the tab down before it reaches your wallet, and it clears to zero when the week rolls over. Your weekly budget is your own target, not a limit, and the Weekly restraint card simply shows how the week is going against it.
Can I sell or donate finds? Yes. Press Let go next to a find in the Storage box panel. Rummage Rue at the fictional Second Spin counter buys it for 40% of what you paid, so reselling always costs Sparks overall. Rue pays out up to a third of your weekly allowance each week. You can also donate a find to the Community Shelf: it pays no Sparks, but your first five donations each week earn XP. Retired finds can't be bought again, so the game asks you to confirm first. Everything you let go stays listed under Previously owned.
What is the storage box? The storage box in your Cloudroom holds finds you want off display. Drag a find onto the box in the corner of the room, press Delete on a selected find, or use the Store buttons under the room. Stored finds stay yours, still count toward your collection and can go back on display at any time.
How does Ask Pip work? Type what you're after in Pip's Pick, for example "a present for a gamer under 200". Pip sends just those words, with the list of finds you don't own yet, to TypeSafe, a matching service, which judges which finds fit. Pip shows up to three. Your words aren't stored or linked to you, and nothing about your browsing is used. Only a daily count of questions is kept, so the pilot stays within its budget. The options below the box work without sending anything. In browsers that support it there is also a microphone beside the box. It asks before first use, because most browsers send the audio to their maker's speech service to turn it into words (this shop never receives audio). It only listens while you have tapped it, and the words go into the box for you to check: nothing is sent to Pip until you press Ask Pip. You can turn voice off again on that screen.
How does the Spark Tap work? Every six hours the Spark Tap fills with one drop of Sparks. Over a week the drops add up to a little more than your weekly budget goal, so staying under the goal is a real choice. The tap holds up to four drops, one day's worth. Collect them from the Spark Tap on the shop page or by selecting your Sparks balance. When the tap is full it pauses, so nothing is lost and there is no need to check in every six hours. Changing your weekly goal changes the size of each drop.
Where is my progress saved? Your balance, collection, Cloudroom and preferences stay in this browser on this device unless you choose to keep them safe. Keep my game safe (in the footer) can download a file, or make a six-word save phrase that lets you carry on from another device. There is still no account, email address or telephone-number registration: the phrase scrambles your save on your device before it is uploaded, so the shop cannot read it, and if you lose the phrase the save cannot be recovered.
How does the save phrase work? It makes six random words. Your device turns them into a lookup id and a secret key (neither can be worked back to the phrase), scrambles your save with the key and uploads only the scrambled bytes under the id. Type the phrase on another device and that device finds, unscrambles and loads your save. It syncs quietly after that, and if both devices have changed it asks which game to keep. You can stop syncing on a device or delete the cloud save at any time, and a cloud save nobody has touched for a year is deleted. Show my phrase can also draw the phrase as a QR code, so a phone can pick it up with its camera instead of typing six words. The code is drawn on your device, nothing is sent anywhere to make it, and because it is your phrase, anyone who scans it can open your save. Keep it off screenshots and out of sight.
What happens when I buy a fictional product? The item enters your basket. At fictional checkout, Sparks are deducted (any shortfall goes on your Spark tab) and the item arrives through a short showroom animation before joining your Cloudroom collection.
Why does the game reward passing? NeoPop Shop is designed to make restraint part of play. Thoughtful passes earn XP, support budget goals and fill the Pass Jar without turning every decision into a purchase.
Are flash deals and other shoppers real? No. Story activity belongs to clearly fictional NPC shoppers. The pilot does not pretend that real people are competing for stock, and missed products can return.
Does the site load anything from other companies? No. The fonts are served from this site itself, and there are no ads, trackers, analytics, session recordings or third-party scripts, so opening a page only ever contacts neopopshop.com. The one exception is voice typing in Ask Pip, which uses your own browser's speech service, and only if you press the microphone and agree.
Does the site profile me? There is no advertising profile and nothing about your browsing leaves your device. The shop does keep a short "taste" list in this browser: the departments and moods of the finds you open, save, think over and buy. It only powers the "Picked for you" shelf. Open My taste in the footer to read it, mark things as "less of this", forget it or switch it off. The main grid, prices and Ask Pip don't use it.
How does sharing a shelf work? Press Share this shelf on your saved shelf, give it an optional title, and copy the link. The finds are written into the link after the # sign, which your browser never sends to any server, so nothing is uploaded and there's no account. Whoever opens it sees those finds and the title, and can save any of them to their own shelf. It can't tell you whether someone else already picked one, because there is no server keeping track.
Why are the cautious reviews first? Each find shows four invented reviews. The two cautious ones come first, then a one-line summary of what they raise (for example the price against similar finds, how many of the last 12 weeks the "was" price was really charged, a long delivery, a very bold colour or a rarity label). The warmer reviews are folded underneath. No real shoppers wrote any of them: they are worked out from facts about the find, so a find always shows the same four, and nothing about you is used. A real shop usually sorts reviews to flatter the product; this one leads with the doubts.
What are "Why this price?" and "Will I still use this?" Both are on a find's page and both are optional. "Why this price?" shows an invented breakdown of what the price pays for: materials, design, packing, running the shop and the shop's margin. It's made up for the shop, like everything in it. "Will I still use this?" asks how often you'd use the find, then works out the cost per use over a year and says whether you already own something similar. Neither one nudges you to buy.
Can I change the text size or reduce movement? Yes. Open Reading settings in the footer to choose Normal, Large or Larger text, to reduce movement (it follows your device's setting by default), and to raise the contrast. The choices are saved on this device and apply on every page, including the Staff Door.
How does "Compare" pick a verdict? Press Compare with another find on a find's page, or Compare two on your saved shelf. You choose what matters most: lighter on Sparks, new to your collection, or the rarer find. The verdict follows that one priority and uses only what's on screen: prices, what you already own, and rarity. It never uses your taste list, it says what the other find does better, and it buys nothing.
What is "Build an occasion"? Press Build an occasion in the shop, pick one (a warmer home, a game night, a quiet desk, a weekend away, a slow coffee morning, a housewarming gift, movie night, or a parcel for a pet) or describe it in your own words. The shop fills each slot with a find that fits its share of your budget, and says plainly if an essential is missing or if you're over budget. You can swap any item, keep the ones you like while the rest is reshuffled, leave items out, reduce the total by a fifth, make it more colourful, add everything to your basket, save it or copy a link. It's worked out on your device, doesn't use your taste list, and buys nothing until you check out.
What is gift mode? When you're shopping for someone else, switch on gift mode (in the occasion builder or in My taste ). For three hours, what you open, save and buy isn't added to your taste list, and "Picked for you" steps aside, so a present for someone else doesn't change your own recommendations. A pill at the top of the shop shows when it's on, and it switches itself off.
What are Calm and Quick browsing? The Calm, Standard and Quick buttons above the grid (and Reading settings in the footer) choose how the shop looks. Calm shows fewer, larger cards, hides the promotional banners and switches movement off. Quick shows a dense grid of small cards. It's always your explicit choice, saved on this device, and it never changes prices or what's for sale.
What is "Try it in your space"? On a photo find's page, press Try it in your space to place the find over your phone's camera or a photo of your room. If your phone has more than one camera, a button switches between the back and front (selfie) cameras, and the selfie view is mirrored like your phone's own camera. Drag it, pinch or use the slider to size it, and save a picture. It is always not to scale : it shows the look, not the fit. The camera picture and your photo stay on your device, nothing is uploaded, and a saved picture is made in your browser and downloaded by you.
How does the price filter work? The price menu above the grid keeps only finds up to a round price (50, 100, 250 or 500 Sparks), inside what's left of this week's plan (your weekly target minus what you've spent this week), or inside a range you type. It uses today's price, combines with departments, search, colours and arrival day, and only narrows the grid: it never blocks a find, and you can always clear it.
Can I try the Cloudroom before I own anything? Yes. While your Cloudroom is empty, "Try arranging a sample room" fills it with a few finds so you can tap them, drag them about and put one away. They aren't yours, nothing is saved, bought or counted, and it ends when you leave it or collect something real.
What is "Within your plan"? A shelf of finds that fit in what's left of this week's plan, which is the goal you set minus what you've spent, with optional price bands such as "Up to ✦ 250". It's your own number, not a discount, and there's no timer. Nothing about it is recorded, the picks stay steady through the day, and "Show different finds" simply draws another set. When your plan is used up the shelf says so and shows nothing; it starts again on Monday.
What is the room gallery? A place to visit rooms other players chose to show. Showing yours is optional and always a deliberate tap in "Share my room": only the finds on display, where they sit, their finishes and day or night are sent, with a name picked from two short lists (like "Quiet corner"). There's no text to type, no picture, no account and nothing about you; the server only keeps a scrambled code so you can replace or take down your own room. Rooms are shown at random with no likes or rankings, an empty gallery says it's empty, and rooms drop off by themselves after about two months.
How do swap links work? Offer one of your finds with a link, and a friend who opens it can offer one of theirs back. Because there's no server holding anything in the middle, a swap in this fictional shop means a find can be in two places at once: you each add the other's find and keep your own. Nothing is lost, bought or timed, and saying no is fine. The link holds only the find id (and a short note if you add one), after the "#", so nothing is uploaded and there's no account. Swapped-in finds are labelled, can't be offered on, earn no XP, and there's room for three at a time. You can give one back whenever you like.
What is the Gazette? A small fictional newspaper that changes every Monday. It reports the week's theme, the real result of the community vote, your own week, a tip, and a letter that is clearly invented. If you've done shifts at the Staff Door, a column from the warehouse adds your badge name, a customer letter and anything curious you found, read from your own save and never sent anywhere. Old issues aren't kept because nothing in it can be missed.
What does "Try it" do on a find? Every department has one small hands-on moment in a find's pop-up: pick a kind of day, a light or a mood, and the picture shifts a little (a tint, a tilt, a soft note) beside a line about how it would fit your life. It's all invented and just for fun. Nothing is saved or counted, there's no reward, and it never touches a price. The soft notes only play if the shop's sound is on, and the picture stays still if you've asked for reduced motion.
What is haptics? On a phone that can vibrate, a very soft buzz can go with the same moments that have a sound: passing on a find, opening a box, a reward. It's off until you switch it on in the footer (the button only appears where your device can vibrate), and it's never used if you've asked for reduced motion.
What is the Price duel? Two finds side by side, and you guess which costs more. There's no clock, no streak and no reward, just a count for your visit and a short note on what usually makes a price (a department's usual range, rarity, size). One achievement counts how many you've got right in total.
Who are the neighbours who drop by my Cloudroom? Pixel-Pip, Mochi-Max, Bibi-Bot and Rummage Rue, characters from the shop's counters. At most one drops by a day and comments on one of your displayed finds, using facts about it, and they remember what's new since they last came. They're invented, they never sell anything or offer a deal, and ignoring them costs nothing.
What is window shopping? A calm window onto the shop: finds drift slowly past, one after another, from everything on sale that you don't already own (or from one department if you choose). Nothing is timed or counted, nothing is bought, and it earns nothing, on purpose. Hover over or tap a find to hold everything still and look; you can save it for later, look closer, or let it go. If you've asked your device for reduced motion, you get one still find at a time and a Next button.
What are the fictional lives? Invented lives, such as a lighthouse keeper's winter or a night-train sleeper, each with a short story and a collection of finds from the shop to match. They open in the occasion builder, so you can swap, keep, leave out, and see the total. They're stories, not real people, and nothing is bought until you check out.
What does "One thing changes everything" do? You choose one find and it shows up to three different collections it could anchor, with that find in place and the rest chosen around it. Open any as a collection to change it. It's worked out on this device from the shop's own collections, and nothing is bought.
How does the Gift detective work? You pick up to three things the person is like, the feel that suits them, a ceiling and whether they already have plenty. It names three possible gifts, the clues that point to each and one thing to watch for. It's worked out on this device and your answers aren't kept or sent. Switching on gift mode there stops your looking from shaping your own taste list.
What is an expert brief? Each find's page has an "Expert brief": three things worth checking and a question to ask yourself first, from an invented expert for that department. The experts and their advice are made up, like everything here, and a find always shows the same brief.
Is the mystery box a lucky dip? Not in the usual sense. You set a price ceiling (and a department if you like), the box picks one find from what's on sale within it, and every eligible find is equally likely. It tells you how many that is. You see the find before you pay anything, you pay that find's own price, and shaking again is free and earns nothing. There's no timer, no stock count and no "limited" label. Keeping it just puts it in your basket.
How do returns at the Staff Door reach the shop? If you donate a returned find at the Staff Door, it's added to the Community Shelf list in the shop (no Sparks or XP, just kindness). If you judge a find right and sell it as a second, Rue puts it in her Second Spin window in the shop at 30% off for the rest of the week (at most three at a time, and never for a find you already own). Neither pays Sparks, and it's at most one find per shift.
What is the gentle tour? After your first minute, a small card at the top of the shop introduces one idea on each of your next three visits (a visit is a new day): Sparks, your Cloudroom, and letting go plus keeping your game safe. It's not a quest. There are no timers, no streaks and no rewards, nothing is lost by ignoring it, and "Skip the tour" ends it. Players who were already playing don't see it.
What is the Pass Sprout? A little plant that grows in your Cloudroom (and shows in the Pass Jar card) from the finds you pass on: a seed, then a sprout, a seedling, a little plant, in bloom, a tall bloom and finally a corner of garden. It grows by your lifetime passes, so it never shrinks, never needs watering and can't wilt. There are no streaks or timers, and buying something never takes it back. Tap it in your Cloudroom to say hello.
Can someone visit my Cloudroom? Yes, if you send them a link. "Share my room" in your Cloudroom makes a link that holds only the finds on display, where they sit, their finishes, whether it's night and an optional name. There's no account and no server, and nothing about you. Whoever opens it visits a read-only copy: they can tap and move things about without changing yours, and save any of the finds to their own shelf. Your stored finds stay private.
What is the achievement shelf? Under My progress, a shelf of small achievements that celebrate calm choices (passing, sleeping on a find, finishing a week inside your plan, letting go) as much as collecting. They're worked out from numbers the game already keeps on your device, have no streaks or deadlines, and can't be missed. "Finish four weeks inside your plan" doesn't need them to be in a row.
What is the week card? A picture of your week so far: finds kept, passes made, Sparks spent against your plan and your favourite vibe. It's drawn on your device, never uploaded, and you can save, share or copy it. Passing counts as much as keeping.
What is the first minute? A short first go at the shop for new players: pick one of three finds, put it next to another, then keep it or pass. Keeping gives you that find as a free welcome find (no Sparks spent) and opens it into your Cloudroom. Passing earns XP and fills your Pass Jar. It's offered once, while your Cloudroom is empty, and the footer's "Play the first minute" brings it back if you skipped it.
What does rarity change? Only how a find looks when you open it: Common, Uncommon, Rare and Legendary boxes are wrapped differently, and you can sort or filter by rarity. It never limits stock, ends a sale or hides a find, so you can't miss one. It doesn't make a find better, either, and the cautious reviews say so.
What's the difference between Style and Fashion? Style is everyday accessories: sneakers, caps, watches, sunglasses, totes and hoodies. Fashion is clothes to dress in, for you or your pet: dresses, jackets, boots, scarves and pet coats. Open either department to see a one-line note.
Why do the numbers of finds sometimes differ? The header counts finds on sale now. Your collection total counts the same finds, plus any you own that have since left the shop. Finds that are queued for a community vote aren't counted anywhere until they arrive.
What is "Where it came from"? An invented story for each find: where its materials were sourced, where it was made, how it was finished and packed. It's told plainly as a story, with no chain or certificate, and it says it is made up.
What does "Take it slowly" do? At the basket you can choose an invented slower delivery, which gives back a few Sparks (5%, between 5 and 100). It shows how a real shop could reward patience, since slower parcels share fuller boxes. In the shop your finds join your Cloudroom straight away either way, and your receipt records the invented arrival date.
What are vibes? Under the departments, the Browse by vibe chips filter the shop by how things look and feel: colour vibes (Sunny side, Poppy red, Sage & moss, Sea glass, Midnight, Plum & berry, Soft neutrals) come from each photo's measured main colour, and mood vibes (Cosy corner, Playful, Everyday useful, A little strange) come from the department's mood. They combine with a department, and "Clear vibe" removes the filter. Nothing about which vibe you pick is stored.
What is the style quiz? An optional one-minute quiz: six this-or-that rounds, each a pair of finds. Your picks add weight to the departments, vibes and moods you chose, so "Picked for you" shows more of what you like. You can also say plainly "more" or "less" of any vibe in My taste . It's all kept on this device, it's off while gift mode is on, and you can erase it or switch it off whenever you like.
What is price history? On a find's page, Price history shows an invented twelve-week chart that always agrees with the find's reference price, so the "was" price is never contradicted by the chart next to it. It's invented for the shop; a real shop could publish the true history the same way.
Can I step through finds without closing the pop-up? Yes. Open a find from the grid, your saved shelf or "Picked for you", and the pop-up has Previous and Next buttons for the next find in that same list, whatever department, vibe, search or sort you're in. You can also swipe left or right on a phone, or use the left and right arrow keys.
What does "More like this" do? On a find's page, it shows the finds closest to it: the same sort of find first, then a similar main colour, shared mood and a similar price, with the reason under each. It is worked out on your device from the shop's own colour measurements.
How do I find things by colour? Under the department tiles, pick a colour swatch (or any colour with the picker) and the shop keeps the finds whose photo is mostly near that colour, best matches first. A grey or cream pick finds the soft neutrals. It combines with departments, vibes, search and Arrives by.
Can I zoom into a photo? Yes. Press Zoom in on a find's page (or click its photo). Pinch, scroll or use the buttons to zoom, drag to move, double-tap to jump in, and swipe or use the arrow keys to step to the next find in your list.
How does the size helper work? On clothes, shoes, caps and pet wear, Find my size asks a few questions and suggests a size, with the reasons. The size charts and the "runs small" notes are invented for this fictional shop. Your answers are only remembered if you tick the box, and only on this device. A size you choose shows on the find, in your basket, on your receipt and on the passport.
What are the invented countries and sets? Every Stamps & Coins find belongs to an invented country such as Kestrelia or the Pellam Isles. A country page gathers its stamps, covers and coins, and a set (all of a country, or the stamp, cover and coin for one event) just shows how many you have. There's no reward for completing a set and nothing to hurry for.
What does "Arrives by" do? Beside the sort menu, it keeps only the finds whose invented standard delivery would arrive by a day you pick. It uses the same estimate as your basket (two, three or five working days by size, no parcels on Sundays).
What are beautiful accidents? Three finds from three departments that look nothing alike but share something real: nearly the same measured photo colour, or a word in their names. The pairing is the same all day, and you can follow the colour or word across the whole shop. It makes no claim about shape or style.
What does the weekend generator do? Give it a budget, who's coming and a mood, and it suggests a plan for a day (a picnic, a noodle night, a creative afternoon, a garden gathering or a puzzle-and-tea afternoon) with steps, things that need nothing bought, and optional finds. Leave out anything you like.
What are two futures? One brief (a free Saturday evening, a weekend away or a new desk) met two different ways, built with the same budget and set side by side: cost, room it takes, how bold the colour is, the mood it leans to and how many departments it needs. Pick one and it opens in the occasion builder.
How does the community vote work? Each week three finds from the queue are up for a vote, and the one people choose arrives next Monday. Voting is optional and one tap. It sends your choice and a random code that stays on your device so a device can't vote twice; the shop stores only a hash of that code with the week, so your votes can't be linked from one week to the next, and nothing else about you is kept. Raw votes are deleted after 30 days; each week's result stays. Only real votes are counted, nobody is pretended, and if nobody voted the oldest of the three arrives and the result says so. It isn't tamper-proof (someone could clear their browser data and vote again), but the only thing at stake is which fictional find arrives next.
What is the taste tournament? Eight finds from across the shop (or from one department) face each other two at a time, in quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. You pick the one you'd rather have each time, and can undo a pick. At the end you get a champion, a runner-up and two joint thirds, and a few lines about what they have in common (mood, colour, price, department), worked out from facts about the finds. There's no timer and nothing is bought. Your top four count towards "Picked for you" on this device only, unless gift mode or taste is off, and the last few results are listed in My shelf.
What is "What would you keep?" A small game: ten finds for a situation, and you keep only three. It then tells you what your three say about your priorities (comfort, practicality, colour, price), worked out from facts about them. Nothing is bought, and the three count like saves for "Picked for you" unless gift mode or taste is off.
What is the discovery dial? On the "Picked for you" shelf, a three-step dial sets how adventurous the picks are: Comfort zone (more of what you like), Pleasant surprise (half your taste, half finds that share a vibe or mood with it) or Wild card (departments you haven't looked at). Each card says which kind of pick it is, and anything you said "Less" to is never used.
What does Remix do? In the occasion builder, Remix makes a collection more playful, more understated, or aims for half the total, by swapping finds and never the ones you marked Kept. If the cheapest swaps can’t reach half, it says so. Undo puts it back.
What is the time machine? Choose an era (a 1970s conversation room, a 1980s arcade bedroom, a 1990s weekend wardrobe, a 1960s kitchen of the future). The shop dresses it from what's on sale, and a slider moves one slot at a time from the era's own way of doing things to today's. The eras are loose moods for a fictional shop, not period research.
What is My shelf? One place for what you own, have saved and kept in What would you keep. It spots doubles, shows which occasion your shelf is closest to and what would round it out, and keeps one line a week about what you leaned towards. It all stays on this device and the history can be cleared. You can also sort your finds into your own collections, such as a dream desk or gift ideas. A collection shows what's still to get and its total, and only groups things: nothing is bought.
What is a find passport? For every find you own, a passport in the Showroom shows when you got it, what you paid, its finish, how to look after it, an invented serial number and warranty, what Second Spin would pay for it, and an invented journey from order to delivery. The date, price and offer are real numbers from your own receipts; the rest is invented and says so.
What does "Why this?" show? The real reasons a find is in front of you: whether it's this week's story deal or theme pick, whether it's new, whether it matches your search or department, whether it's on your "Picked for you" shelf, and how the grid is ordered. If there's no special reason, it says so.
Does NeoPop Shop collect analytics? Your play stays local. Optional anonymous daily totals (per-find counts, whether you played that day, your Sparks totals for the day and how many Staff Door shifts and desks you played) and the end-of-pilot survey are sent only after you choose to participate; their screens explain exactly what is shared. The totals carry no name, email or device ID, and they are added together with everyone else's.
Why is the pilot 18+? The private pilot uses a self-declared 18+ limit while the economy, timer pressure, privacy design and public-launch audience are evaluated. The creative content remains family-safe.
Can I lose a collection by missing a day? No. There are no missed-day penalties, paid streak repairs or permanent one-chance drops. Themes and products can return.