A plea for the pop-up

A PLEA FOR
THE POP-UP

COLUMN /

René spaanderman

Just how relevant is the pop-up shops trend in 2018? There is still often an atmosphere of affected hipness surrounding pop-ups - a desperate urge to temporarily breathe life into moribund shopping centres, or score points in marketing and retail blogs. And this is completely unjustified, if you ask me!

Every brand (yes, every brand, irrespective of whether you are a retailer, food producer, clothing designer, car manufacturer or health insurer) should seriously consider using pop-ups as a structural part of the total retail mix. After all, agility is essential in the new retail reality. How quickly can you adapt to changing consumer trends, local market developments and the ‘phygital’ retail game? How do you connect with your fans and ... how and where do you make sales? How do you build a smart business case?

Here are six arguments for pop-up retail:

1. IT IS ECONOMICALLY EFFICIENT
Why keep a store open for 12 months a year if the vast majority of your sales are made at one peak period? In Holland IKEA opened a small Christmas pop-up in the middle of the city and also pure player FonQ opened its own temporary gift store. The dozens of temporary gingerbread shops opened by Van Delft are a perfect example of the smart pop-up. The business case is simple!

2. A POP-UP CONNECTS
A smartly chosen pop-up can offer you ultimate relevance. This comes from the ‘right time, right place’ principle mentioned previously, but also because the pop-up makes you visible and tangible, and offers plenty of scope for telling your brand story. It connects your brand and brand story to new consumers, and also connects products to new users. In fact, it can be a fantastic connector in your phygital strategy. Do you have a webshop? Then a pop-up is a great driver! Show who you are, what you have to offer, and what service level people can expect.

3. IT CREATES A SENSE OF URGENCY
Whatever is scarce is desirable. At the end of 2017, Google opened a fantastic pop-up store in New York City, that literally had people queuing at the door. Everyone wanted to be there before the store disappeared again. Okay, the pop-up was primarily a great example of ‘retailtainment’, but it was only its temporariness that ensured the influx of shoppers.

4. IT OFFERS VALUABLE NEW INSIGHTS
A pop-up suddenly puts your brand in a new market area where there is a lot to learn about the users (Who are they? How do they use my products? What are their experiences?) and the potential of the market area. If your pop-up turns out to be a success, you can always consider permanently establishing yourself.

5. IT (OFTEN) CREATES ITS OWN PR
Partly due to its temporariness, a pop-up is soon the talk of the town. If you do not really focus your pop-up on direct business, the business case can definitely lie in its marketing & PR value.

6. IT REVITALISES BRANDS AND SHOPPING AREAS
pop-up spices things up. Shopping areas suddenly see new customers and sales flows, while brands can show a different side of themselves to potential buyers.

PLUG & PLAY: BE READY TO POP UP!
In 2018, all the digital tools for quickly opening a pop-up are readily available. Your webshop can act as your cash register and stock management system; digital screens can quickly show the latest campaigns and content, and the news spreads like wildfire via social media. So start thinking now about how your brand can quickly open a temporary physical footprint as an off-the-shelf modular ‘plug & play’ pop-up. Are you reading this too, local policymakers and real-estate owners? Pop-ups are here to stay!

A plea for the pop-up · Kega