Opening up a point-of-sale for a limited period is the principle behind this marketing strategy that was born in the United Stated in the 2000s. At the start, only small brands were doing it. Little by little, all retailers, right up to major brands, began opening pop-up stores (named after the three-dimensional pop-up books that little children love so much). Perceived as one of the major trends in retail, these pop-up spaces for Experience and special relations between the brand and its customers appear to have a bright future.
La Fabrique, by Mondial Tissus
On the 11 and 12 June, La Fabrique, Mondial Tissus’ pop-up store, opened in the heart of Paris’ first arrondissement. This was much more than a simple shop, where customers are invited to simply come and buy. “It is an opportunity for creativity lovers to come and be inspired about Fashion, Decoration and Haberdashery for kids and adults!”.
“Every year, we organise a Press Event to showcase the new collections” Marine Nagel-Lacroix, Marketing and Communication Director at Mondial Tissus, tells us. “Over the years, we have wanted to demonstrate our know-how to a greater extent, especially for our finished and made-to-measure products, and dress spaces. This year, we opened the press event to the public, to share the launch of our own brand and a presentation of a revolutionary pattern projection machine with our customers. We also developed a programme with DIY workshops for beginners, experts and children, displays of made-to-measure work, meet-and greets with sewing influencer Instagram stars…”
It is also the opportunity for the brand to launch the “Design me in fabric” competition that gives “the opportunity to imagine and create one of the future patterns in the Autumn/Winter 2018 Fashion Collection”.
The focus is on the Experience! The Boutique space was actually very small.
There on the first day, the blogger Lucette M was able to use the workshop, led by Margaux from the Couture Débutant blog, to create a laptop pouch. “I usually sew with Mondial Tissus products and wanted to have a creative experience with other bloggers, get lots of ideas thanks to the models on show, meet the brand’s mover and shakers…I was blown away by the machine that projects patterns: that’s an innovation that I’ve never seen before!”
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Pop-up stores: the challenges
Clothing, decorations, high-end food, high-tech goods, etc. Pop-up stores cover all sectors and are opening up everywhere, for a few days to a few weeks at most.
For Nathan Stern, President of Altavia Shoppermind, social engineer and social network creator, this proliferation and creativity are the sign of several heterogeneous factors:
– It demonstrates the availability of property for short-term experiments. Indeed, the rate of occupation on some high streets and in shopping centres has fallen considerably. Pop-up stores, even though they are not always the most advantageous option for a manager, are worth it for the entertainment value.
– The pop-up store phenomenon is also linked to the challenge of devirtualising connections. More and more retailers, that mainly draw on an e-commerce platform and a community of Internet customers, want a bite of the face-to-face retail apple. Their finances have never allowed them to make big commitments, and they are opening pop-up stores to invite members of the community to meet, discuss and create, thus reinforcing the customer-brand connection.
– A pop-up store also represents a cost-effective way of testing a model and its feasibility.
– In some cases, the pop-up store is the expression of lively retail that goes out to meet customers. Opportunistic pop-up stores are set up wherever people are: at the beach in summer, in ski resorts in winter, etc.
Madeleine & Gustave, emblematic of a structured and visionary approach
Madeleine & Gustave’s nomadic nature is characterised by pop-up stores throughout France. “It’s about opening for a summer season, in beautiful holiday locations, with a family-friendly atmosphere. In November and December they are on provincial town high streets and in ski resorts for the winter season.” The objective is to draw in relaxed customers, who have the time to touch, discover, look, etc. To do so, they have to go out and get them during their down time! “This inspiring brand was able to establish very strong customer relations and carry our fantastic work in retail design, which is adjusted to the restrictions of this form of retail,” Nathan Stern says. “Pop-ups have not been viewed as a dumping ground but as a boutique offering customers the chance to have an experience that echoes the brand’s DNA.”
An example for us all those who will soon be diving into pop-up retail.