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The pop-up store was born from a need for experience and entertainment on the part of the consumer and the desire to surprise and create a memory on the part of brands. By definition, a pop-up store appears and disappears with the idea of creating an ephemeral and unforgettable moment. In order to create an appointment On a limited period thus creating this effect of exceptional products not to be missed.
In the history of the pop-up store, these are mobile stores. It started with markets and food stands, such as ice cream vans, fish & chips or even hot dogs.
Over the years, brands were inspired of this practice and the Pop-up store “marketing”was born in America at the end of 20th century. Today, the term pop up store is used to define pop-up retail brand stores that temporarily set up shop in empty spaces. According to a study (Challenges, 2018), every year 150 to 200 pop-up shops invade the center of Paris.
The origins of the pop-up store
Originally the pop up store was a Pop-up store a small surface that can be assembled and disassembled very quickly thanks to the use of a lightweight structure specially designed for this type of concept. By definition, street vendors and their stalls are considered pop up stores. Markets, hot dog stands, ice cream vans... are therefore the very origin of the principle of quickly installing your products in a place on a fixed term and to repack them just as quickly. Over the centuries, the pop up store has completely become reinvented over the years. The concept was structured more particularly at the end of the 90s in America before arriving in Europe. Today the pop up store is a real marketing asset for a brand and a experiment rich in the eyes of consumers.
The evolution of the pop-up store
The reinvention of the pop up store made history in America, on the West Coast. Although in the 1980s, Nicolas Hayek, creator and innovator of the Swatch watch, took advantage of major events to enlist himself with his products whose sole marketing idea was: “We come to make a noise, then we leave”. It is more particularly thanks to the event The Ritual Expo, which took place in Los Angeles in 1997 that the pop up store was democratized. This event, welcoming both artists and creators of street culture such as urban dances or rap concerts, has inspired big companies American women finding the original concept. And in the 2000s, this concept called “pop up store” appeared and was democratized.
This concept was later taken up by major retailers such as Walmart, Target, or JCPenney, who at the time were already looking for relevant ways to highlight their brand and their products through new marketing strategies. The idea is to create a moment of “ephemeral buzz” to surprise its customers, all consumer sectors quickly got started. From that moment on, and with the idea of always being more surprising, a trend was born: to bring to life a unforgettable moment and unique to its client.
First pop up store in Europe: Nike
Overall the The 2000s were a significant year for the pop-up store market.. The arrival of pop-up stores in Europe is carried out by the famous sports brand, Nike. The brand took advantage of the Beijing Olympic Games to open pop up stores in seven different cities during the summer of 2008. By mixing exceptional place (pop up store on board a barge for the city of Paris), to a selection of very limited products And a series of events (visits by athletes and celebrities), Nike creates exceptions for consumers and its concept quickly inspires luxury brands and the fashion world. Other consumer sectors such as agri-food brands or companies such as SNCF quickly followed.
The impact of Comme des Garcons on the pop up store
The Japanese brand Comme des Garcons, founded by the famous designer Rei Kawakubo, was also inspired by the marketing strategy pop up stores. By opening its first pop-up store in Berlin, Germany in 2004, the brand named its stores “Guerilla store” and was very successful with a her own strategy. Betting everything on layout and location, Comme des Garcons settles in places without electricity and sometimes even in abandoned places. The staging is spectacular to say the least and is unanimously acclaimed by consumers at the search for originality. Very quickly, the clothing brand saw “Guerilla stores” flourish in several cities in Europe and experienced a surprising marketing buzz.
Sources:
marketing definitions
Toute-la-franchise
Fashion Industry Broadcast
Capital - The big fashion for pop-up shops
Mypopupstore
Hypebeast
