ciful_concept/61906
Natural selection
Today, experimenting and being daring appear the only ways to test the success of any new retail propositions. According to Miller the future for pop-up shops is a step forward in social e-commerce terms: “Flash sales on Facebook are as big as pop-up stores were when the concept was first developed. These are sales that run for a limited time and stem from brands’ Facebook pages. It’s an experimental phase, some good examples recently are Diane Von Furstenberg and Britney Spears who both achieved outstanding sales in one day.”
The company is launching a pop-up shop concept for Facebook this summer called mypopupshop. It allows a cosmetics brand to promote and sell a limited product or range to people that like their brand, and to their facebook friends, for a limited time only.
Miller comments: “With only a limited amount of time to buy, the purchasing decision is made easier. Each cosmetics product or brand lasts for a limited time on a Facebook user mypopupshop site, much like in a real life pop-up shop.”
Another model that pop-up shops could develop might be that employed by The Perfume Shop, that has launched 50 of its The Perfume Shop @ Superdrug retail format this year. Jo Walker, managing director of The Perfume Shop, said at the time the announcement was made:
“We are finding that the dwell time is longer in Superdrug as people take more time to browse. Because these formats target customers who aren’t just looking for perfume, we’re appealing to a new type of consumer, those who pop into Superdrug for cosmetics or baby wipes and then come across our shop-in-shop while there so this is really beneficial for us.”
Michael Sheridan, owner of the Sheridan & Co design agency that has a space in Marylebone used solely for pop-ups, comments: “I think in the future pop-ups will be used to more strategic effect. Traditionally, pop-ups have been used to create greater brand awareness in a certain geographical location. What we have with Clarins for example is more of a laboratory scenario whereby we can engage with consumers and learn from their responses on what works and what doesn’t. Even though it’s been around for some time, I’d like to think that the pop-up concept isn’t finished with yet. I think it will evolve to a different level.”
According to Sheridan, the core foundation of the pop-up shop concept – surprise, delight and generosity – will stay firmly in place. However because the market is so competitive brands will need to get something back in return. “I am talking about the invaluable knowledge that consumer feedback gives to the brand. Ultimately we will get to the point where it will be consumers, as a group, who will shape the direction of the brand itself,” concludes Sheridan.
Variations on the concept of pop-up shops allow retailers to understand what really works with consumers and the key element in the future will be flexibility and consumer engagement. Pop-up shops will not just be the way brands can make a quick statement about themselves and lure consumers in but rather a marketing tool employed to test the water, define the way consumers get to know about cosmetics and shape the brand’s direction accordingly so that they can stand out in an increasingly competitive market.
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