The physical store is a very important component to a luxury retail brand’s success. Enter: the pop-up store, perfect for testing out a physical retail presence on short-term, whether it’s for the first time ever or to expand its presence in an entirely new location. Plus, it’s cost-effective, and a creative way for luxury retailers to showcase things like brand story, new products, or collaborations.
Here’s why luxury retailers should bet on the power of pop-up stores.
1. Pop-up stores create a physical connection with your customer.
There are many luxury retail brands that focus on e-commerce, selling products solely on the brand’s website and utilizing digital marketing tools such as social media and influencer marketing to spread the word. Most of these luxury retail brands have a large following, or at least a core customer base, which can give insight into where and how to launch a pop-up shop that is suitable for the brand, plus it can use this as leverage to attract significant attention to the store.
Pop-up stores allow luxury brands to test small before making a big commitment. Of course influencers and social media marketing drive awareness both on and off-line, but the true test is to see if it’s the right location and the right place to attract current clients and passersby. A luxury brand might do really well with a pop-up store in the Upper East Side area in NYC but it might choose downtown, like the Noho/Soho area, to attract new customers. With some careful and strategic planning, luxury brands can easily identify where a permanent location vs. a short-term space should be.
Chanel recently hosted a pop-up store in Covent Garden, creating an interactive store that featured a Chanel nail bar, make-up stations, a space dedicated to facials, and themed events with workshops during the pop-up period. From this, Chanel was able to evaluate how successful this type of shop could perform. It also gave the brand the opportunity to show off new products and receive feedback and engagement directly with the consumers. This store is now a permanent fixture in Covent Garden.
2. Pop-up stores take a personal approach that consumers appreciate.
Luxury brands often feature personalization elements for consumers to create that special ‘one of a kind’ item. Personalization could be anything from adding initials onto a handbag to changing the color of a shirt or adding on an extra button. A pop-up space is a fun and personal way for luxury brands to connect with consumers to create that special, unique piece just for them in-person. It allows them to interact and engage, creating their very own unique and desired style.
A creative way for luxury brands to market themselves past the door is to offer a unique gift-wrapping service, especially during specific holiday periods. It’s a simple gesture that goes a long way for most consumers and it takes the branding out the door. A fun element to incorporate would be a create your own gift-wrapping where the consumer can choose the style of gift-wrapping that they want rather than just a generic gift wrap.
3. Pop-up stores offer a unique experience and limited edition products.
Pop-up stores create noise around product launches, new collections or limited edition items. Fendi did just that when they partnered with Selfridges in London for a two-week Flowerland exhibition to reveal their new Spring-Summer collection. Fendi collaborated with artist Azuma Makoto to create beautiful floral displays along with Fendi products decorated with 3-D motifs and two European exclusive styles. The best part about the pop-up shop was the entrance, featuring an Ape truck (the pint-sized three-wheeled Italian icon) decorated with flower motifs, original flower bouquets, and floral collars. A special takeaway that luxury brands should consider is creating something unique that can be purchased at the pop-up launch, allowing the consumer to feel special. At Flowerland, it was the unique floral bottles created by an artisan from Makoto’s studio.
If you’re a luxury brand looking for that next experience to showcase your new collection, or release a new product, test the field of pop-up stores and engage with consumers to convert them over to lifelong followers of your brand.
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