You can hardly go anywhere these days without seeing one or more “pop-up” shops offering some sort of product, service or clothing line. They appear in vacant retail spaces, in kiosks at the mall, even within larger big-box retailers like Costco or Best Buy—and they stay open for as long as a few months or as little as a few days. Pop-ups used to be primarily used for brand awareness or to test out new products, but now even larger retailers like Amazon and Nordstrom are getting in on the action—prompting Bloombergto refer to pop-ups as the “next big retail strategy.”
If you’ve got an up-and-coming brand or product line and you’re trying to gain exposure for it, you might not have the budget yet for a permanent brick-and-mortar location; but you still need to think beyond simply going the e-commerce route. A pop-up shop could connect you with many potential loyal customers you wouldn’t reach online. Let’s look at the few advantages of doing a pop-up.
Great for Improving Brand Awareness
If no one knows who you are yet, a pop-up is an excellent method for exposing the public to your product or brand in a tactile, tangible way. People are more likely to remember the experience of trying your product live than simply seeing your name on some form of advertising.
Great Strategy for Test Marketing
If you want to get an idea for how your product or service does in a retail setting, a pop-up store is a great way to find out before investing thousands of dollars on a full retail rollout.
Lower Risk
It’s much easier to test out locations and target demographics by leasing a space for two months than for two years. If a certain location doesn’t seem to produce results, you can try again elsewhere.
Builds Excitement for Your Product
The idea of a pop-up shop reinforces a sense of immediacy among potential customers because they know you won’t be there long. You can often use this dynamic to build urgency and excitement to boost sales. (Established retailer LoveSac claims that 10 percent of their total retail sales come from pop-ups.)
Connect on a Community Level
When you limit your marketing to online outlets, it can be difficult to build brand loyalty because you’re just one name among millions. A pop-up lets you connect to customers more directly, putting a face to the product—which can also eventually boost your online sales.
As a way of promoting local businesses and connecting them to our community, Hockessin Athletic Club has made space available for pop-up boutiques, and we have seen several businesses do very well utilizing that space. To learn how your company might benefit from renting pop-up space in our facility, give us a call today.
