With Christmas right around the corner and talk of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the retail world is also anticipating this season’s most exciting Pop Up stores. If you aren’t familiar with the concept of Pop Up’s, they are temporary retail spaces that “pop up” in high traffic metropolitan areas and offer a unique shopping experience for products not commonly offered in traditional standalone retail shops or products or brands looking to create buzz worthy experiences. Even if the products are traditional consumer goods, showcasing them in a unique new environment shines new light on otherwise unnoticed goods.
Seasonal holidays (particularly Christmas) and movie premiers have often commanded the most attention for pop ups and brands, but the popup experience does not need to be relegated to only high fashion, big brands or hit movies. Pop ups are about experiential marketing and the opportunity to connect with consumers and we think there are some wild opportunities for food to create their own buzz worthy experiences in this unique space. Can you see a Pop Up retailer selling all the fixings for a turkey dinner with in-store cooking lessons, or maybe Haute Produce Shops with vegetable butchers and fruit mixologists creating delightful dishes.
In fact, this article from Huff Post featuring “The Real Apple Store” gives us an idea of what is possible when we think outside our traditional retail box and into a new retail box space. London’s Borough Market recently re-created the history of apple varieties in an Applesque Store setting similar to electronics giant Apple to celebrate their Apple Day festival.
Our world is cluttered with messaging and engaging content and experiences are great ways to connect with consumers and get on the viral media channels for long enough to create awareness and generate early sales or much needed buzz. Some of our favorite Pop Up experiences include the following.
The North Face – “Never Stop Exploring” – when shopping becomes an actual challenge the brand is a real experience.
Diet Coke – Live Tastefully a partnership Pop Up with Culinary Institute of America showed a beautiful example of product integrating into lifestyle.
Written by Melinda Goodman
Managing Partner
Melinda@FullTiltMarketing.net
