Being that it is “the future”, you might think that most people buy their products online. But did you know that 95% of all consumer buying takes place in physical, brick and mortar stores? Last year proved that traditional shopping is still a force to be reckoned with, it’s simply taken a new form. This year many cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Austin, Texas felt like a game of pop-up shop musical chairs, with brands from all over opening temporary brick and mortar locations and other interesting brand activations.
ARE POP-UP SHOPS WORTH IT?
Absolutely worth it. Go where your customers are. Your brand can test a new revenue stream with a limited investment. Are you primarily an e-commerce brand? Try reaching customers offline with a pop-up shop and create that while-it-lasts urgency for your products.
Market your pop-up shop around the holidays, a specific event, or around a sale. Try to imagine just how much money consumers are spending on their loved ones, it doesn’t matter what you’re selling, giving a consumer physical location to access you is a great way to make significant cash.
Teva Pop-Up Shop at Bonnaroo
WHAT REALLY DIFFERENTIATES A STORE AND A POP-UP SHOP?
Perhaps one of the only things differentiating a Pop-Up Shop from a permanent store location is its end date or its lack thereof, however, Pop-Up Shops can allow a brand to become more selective about their location, aligning themselves during a popular event containing the core demographic or perhaps to take advantage of higher foot traffic in a particular area for limited amounts of time. Instead of investing all that capital into a build, when it makes the most sense. simply lease retail areas for limited segments of time.
WHY WE’RE FANS OF THE POP-UP SHOP
Pop-Up Shops are effective. It means you don’t need to build a store! That can get expensive. Think about it, temporary stores, ideal locations, transportable, select goods, limited edition items, product sampling, there’s unlimited possibilities and potential. Some pop-up shops even see crowds lined up the night before.
Cotton Pop-Up Shop in Boston, MA
URGENCY: THE KEY
Offering limited edition items allows retailers to generate interest and a sense of urgency among shoppers. Just think about it, what could help motivate shoppers more? Limited edition items, product sampling and perfect locations from a pop-up shop? Perhaps offer customization options, either by the brand ambassador or by the consumer!
POP-UP SHOPS OFFER TWO KINDS OF CUSTOMIZATION
Teva had a station at Bonnaroo Music Festival that allowed for concertgoers purchase sandals and made available items such as glitter, patches, paint markers, sewing accessories and had sewing equipment and a couple pairs of scissors on site.
What do Pop-Up Shops look like?
Pop-Up Shops should be an authentic extension of the brand. Teva, for example, converted an old school bus into a custom pop-up shop space for Bonnaroo Music Festival. Mike’s built a mobile party camper. Rue La La and Cotton built a custom downtown shopping experience.
The Teva Bus – Bonnaroo Music Festival
Pop-Up Shops are great for product sampling. If you want to activate in an area that hosts your particular demographic, what better way to introduce the consumer to the product than to put it directly in their hands.
Mike’s created a Custom Airstream Pop-Up Bar that can be tailored to events anywhere around the United States.
Mike’s Happy Camper Pop-Up Bar
Playing some lemon table tennis at Mike’s Pop-Up Bar
Mike’s Pop-Up Bar
Rue La La / Cotton Pop-Up in Boston
We specialize in creating custom brand experiences, including Pop-Up Shops. If you have questions about Experiential Marketing or Pop-Up Shops contact BeCore today!