FAQs

A classic brass shop bell, rung twice — distinct enough that you’ll know a customer is waiting without even taking your phone out of your pocket.

Your message pops up right on their screen. The moment you tap your reply, it appears at the top of the browser page they already have open. No refreshing, no downloads, and no guesswork for the customer.

Absolutely. PitchMate connects you with neighbouring BackIn5 traders so you can look out for each other when duty calls.

• How to pair: Pair up in seconds. Tap Manage PitchMates in the app; one of you displays their PitchMate code on screen and the other scans it. You’re now linked — and because the connection is between traders, not the venue, your PitchMate travels with you to any market you work together.
• Pair at the market, on the day: you both need to be checked in at the same market, and you both need that market on your list, before a code will scan. The app says which of the two is missing. A code is short-lived and works once, so if a scan is refused, show a fresh one.
• How it works: When you step away and activate cover, any customer scan alerts your partner’s phone instead of yours, giving waiting shoppers a friendly face on the spot.
• Complete control: Choose who covers you on the day, or disconnect any time with a single tap in your account.
• Both traders need BackIn5: Because alerts route straight to their phone, your neighbour needs an active account too. (If they aren’t on BackIn5 yet, invite them to sign up so you can pair up!)

PitchMate is a mutual, in-person agreement between fellow traders — we provide the smart instant link, while you and your neighbour share the trust.

Create and download it straight from your account. Head to My Sign, add your business name or logo, choose your wording, and download your print-ready A5 PDF in seconds. Slip it in an acrylic stand, laminate it, or frame it. Your code stays yours, so printing a fresh sign down the line will never break an old one.

Fast and password-free. Pop your email address into the sign-in page, then either approve the prompt on your phone or tap the secure link sent straight to your inbox. No fiddly passwords to remember when you’re setting up a stall in the cold.

• On your phone: A prompt appears on your screen and lasts 90 seconds. If it expires, simply tap Send a new request.
• In your inbox: An emailed sign-in link works once and stays active for 15 minutes.

(Note: The phone prompt only appears if your phone is currently linked to your stall. If you have signed out of the app, there is no phone connected to receive the alert - use the emailed link instead, and see the question below.)

The app is the half that rings; the website is where everything is set up. They are joined by a short code that you take from one and type into the other:

1. Install the app: Download BackIn5 from Google Play and open it on the phone you use at your stall.
2. Get your code: On this website, sign in and head to My Account → Link the app → Show me a code.
3. Link the phone: In the app, tap I have a code from the website, type the code in, and tap Link this phone.

The code lasts 5 minutes and works once. If it runs out, just ask for another - the old one stops working the second a fresh one is generated.

Make sure the code is typed into the app, not on the website. If you accidentally tap the app’s email box and type the code there, the app will gently let you know.

Got a new phone? Follow the exact same three steps on your new device. Only one phone can be linked at a time because only one phone should ring - linking a new device automatically unlinks the old one, with nothing to tidy up first.

Signing out of the app unlinks that phone completely. That is deliberate - it is exactly what you want if a phone is lost or upgraded - but it means two things happen straight away:

1. Your counter sign cannot reach you. Nothing rings until a phone is linked again, even if your stall was checked in.
2. The website cannot prompt your phone to approve sign-ins, because there is no active device attached to receive it.

Getting back in is simple and goes through your inbox. Enter your email on the sign-in page, tap the link that arrives in your inbox, and then link the app again using the three steps above.

Cannot reach your email on market morning?

A recovery code signs you in instantly on its own, with no inbox needed. Take one from My Account while you are logged in and jot it down somewhere safe. It is the only way in that skips your inbox, and we cannot show it to you twice. If you have neither your email nor your code, email us - a real person will get you sorted.

(Good to know: Signing out of the app unlinks the phone, but it does not delete your stall settings. Once you link back up, your custom replies, PitchMates, and market history are all sitting there ready to go.)

£5 a month, or £50 a year. Clean, honest pricing with no hidden fees. Everything is included: your permanent code, unlimited customer scans, instant preset replies, and PitchMate cover. Cancel any time — the details are in our terms.

BackIn5 is on Android today.

The iPhone version is on its way. Use an iPhone? Leave your email and you’ll be first through the door when it lands. We’ll drop you one confirmation, one email when it’s live, and nothing else.

Three quick things to check.

1. Are you checked in? BackIn5 only rings while you are actively checked in at your market. If you aren’t, shoppers who scan simply see that the stall is closed.
2. Is Do Not Disturb blocking it — or is your phone face down? Many phones silence alerts when laid screen-down on a table (on a Pixel this is called Flip to Shhh). To make sure waiting buyers get through, open the BackIn5 app, tap Open the setting on the Do Not Disturb card, and switch on Override Do Not Disturb. You can also set it yourself: Settings → Apps → BackIn5 → Notifications → Counter Bell → Override Do Not Disturb. The wording varies between phone makers.
3. Did the alert get away at all? If we cannot send it — no signal here, or your phone has never registered — the shopper’s screen says so plainly, rather than leaving them thinking you are on your way. A short drop in your own signal is different: the alert simply lands when your phone comes back.

Not a chance. BackIn5 only chimes while you are actively checked in at a market. If you ever forget to check out at the end of the day, we check you out automatically at midnight — so letting it through Do Not Disturb won’t interrupt your evening or your sleep.

Not at all. Just point your phone’s camera at the sign to open the page. We never ask for your name, email or card details, and there is nothing to download or install.

20 minutes. If you change your mind and decide to move on before the trader gets back, tap I have gone — cancel this at the bottom of the screen so they know you are no longer waiting.

Tap Something not right? at the bottom of the screen. It flags the stall’s content to us, tells us exactly what the page said, and records nothing about you.