Pop-up store. An effective customer magnet

Pop-up stores are a phenomenon that has grown in strength. Today’s “momentary shops” are a commercial phenomenon that surprises customers and at the same time gives brands a chance to get to gain the first reviews of new products. 

The need to diversify is something we want in every sphere of life. In the era of personalization of customer service and shopping, more and more often referred to as “shopping experience”, the concept of pop-up stores has begun to play an increasingly important role.

The pop-up store concept is nothing new. The first historically confirmed “momentary shops” appeared at the end of the 13th century: they were stalls at festive fairs in Vienna. The idea of ​​trade is as old as the world itself, and matching it to the dictates of the particular season of the year was only a matter of time. The first attempt to coin the term for the phenomenon of shops operating within a short time, however, were undertaken as late as the second half of the 1990s, thanks to shops of brands like Levi Strauss and Motorola. In the 21st century, the first impressive pop-up stores were the creations of brands like Dr. Martens or Comme des Garçons. Thanks to this second brand, owned by famous designer Rei Kawakubo, we have had the opportunity to witness the “Guerilla Shops” series in 2004 – stores in unusual locations, demanding quite a bit of determination to actually find them. One of them was located in the post-industrial areas of Cracow – the city in which our company is based.

Not much later, the term “pop-up retail” began to function more widely in the trade media, and the tactics of opening stores in unusual locations, for short periods of time, was adapted by niche, lifestyle and exclusive brands like Kate Spade and Luis Vuitton. The emergence of new players in the retail market interested in “momentary stores” has caused the concept to evolve and become more and more sophisticated. What determines the popularity of pop-up stores?

1. Relatively lower costs

Traditional stationary stores are usually a heavy burden on the brand and a long-distance financial commitment. It’s an extra burden when it comes to the increased risk associated with testing new products or launching a new brand. A well-designed and equipped pop-up store will allow us to gage the first impressions of our customers while reducing rental expenses.

2. Strengthening of the brand awareness

This applies both to brands debuting on the market and those that want to expand the circle of potential customers. An engaging marketing strategy can be an effective incentive for your audience to share their experience in social media. By applying a proper measure of monitoring, we can have an almost instant response to what our customers like and what needs improvement.

3. Everyone likes surprises

This principle also applies to retail, provided, of course, that we will surprise the customer in a positive way. Outstanding pop-up stores located in interesting places often create a suggestion that they are “limited offer” and that it’s better to visit them sooner rather than later. Great examples here are shops at music festivals. Those include pop-up stores of big chain stores like H&M at the Coachella Festival and smaller local brands at festivals like Open’er.

4. The recipient’s age does not matter

The core concept of pop-up stores is to attract, regardless of age. Things that, in theory, would only appeal to a teenager, may in reality turn out to be fun for the rest of the household. A good example would be restaurants and pop-up bars.

Currently, pop-up stores are moving towards more and more well-thought concepts that venture well beyond traditional-style stores with conventional equipment. That is why it pop-up store concept is worth considering to meet new targets in retail.