If new products can come and go, why can’t the stores that display them do the same? Well, you guessed it, retail outlets increasingly do. From gallery-like shopping spaces with one-off exhibitions to mobile units bringing innercity-chic to rural areas, TRENDWATCHING.COM has noticed an increase in temporary retail manifestations around the world.

We’ve dubbed this trend POP-UP RETAIL, as these initiatives have a tendency to pop up unannounced, quickly draw in the crowds, and then disappear or morph into something else, adding to retail the fresh feel, exclusivity and surprise that galleries, theatres and Cirque du Soleil-adepts have been using for years. To the delight of consumers, who are increasingly used to MASSCLUSIVITY and PLANNED SPONTANEITY. Trend examples are below, to learn from or copy.


 

• No-frills, yet stylish airline Song opened a flagship store in November 2003, smack in the middle of SoHo, NY (near Dean & DeLuca and Mercer Hotel). Besides being the first airline store of its kind, its lifespan raised eyebrows, too: the ’Song in the City’ store will close next week; 22 December 2003, to be precise. Open only from Thursdays to Sundays, this 9-week store features samples of Song’s in-flight menu, sells travel gear, lets visitors experience the various in-flight entertainment options, and yes, even sells tickets. Brands like Disney, Coca-Cola and Health Magazine dole out goodies (including free massages!), all this in a very stylish, SoHo-worthy environment. Check the intinerary-style agenda for this week’s events, while it’s still there.

• Target, the US-based discount-chic franchise that works with (amongst others) fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, opened up a temporary 1500 sq. feet store in Rockefeller Center to celebrate Mizrahi’s stylish yet affordable new women’s clothing line. The glossy store was open from 4 September to 15 October 2003 only. Last year, Target actually housed a temporary floating store on the Hudson River for the Christmas season. POP-UP RETAIL at its best!

• Turning POP-UP RETAIL’s temporary theme into a long term formula is Vacant, an exclusive retail concept and exhibition store that opens for one month only in empty spaces in major cities including New York, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm and Los Angeles, showcasing a range of one-off, hard to find and strictly limited edition products from established brands and emerging designers. Limited quantities are available, and not all products on display can be purchased. New store locations are announced by email to Vacant Club members only moments before opening. .

 

• Less secretive, but certainly the most mobile version of POP-UP RETAIL: the London Fashion Bus. Launched at the end of May 2003, the London Fashion Bus is a continually touring showroom,

stocking over 1,400 pieces of work from 40 designers. The refitted double-decker bus brings unique designer pieces to areas throughout Britain that don’t have London’s uber-trendy boutiques and outlets, while giving young designers a wider audience. Consumers can find tour dates and locations on the website.

•  This summer, Ebay -- eager to get some real-world exposure, AND keen on shedding its ’flea market’ image -- invited six interior designers to furnish an entire New York City penthouse. The catch? Designers had a limited budget and could only use furniture and accessories purchased through Ebay.com. The result turned out to be a mix of funky and chic, worthy of an upscale store. All items could be bought from the website for one week in October 2003, after which the Ebay Showhouse closed its physical and virtual doors, having fulfilled its POP-UP RETAIL goals.

 

• Proof that POP-UP RETAIL can flourish outside mega-metropolises as well: Brazilian cosmetics firm Oceanic, which didn’t have the funds to build a nationwide bricks and mortar presence, decided to go mobile. It equipped the majority of its franchisees with Fiat Doblo minivans, which are both delivery vehicles AND shops. Developed in coordination with Cherto, a Brazilian distribution strategy group, the mobile stores make it easy to target prime consumer locations such as universities, schools, hospitals, parks, and trade shows. Not to mention customization: the mobile store’s inventory can be customized for different locations (i.e. if a frachisee parks near a beach, he or she’d better stock up on sunscreen and suntan lotions!). POP-UP RETAIL Brazilian style!

OPPORTUNITIES

POP-UP RETAIL fits right in with the Entertainment Economy, the Experience Economy, the Surprise Economy, and so on. It’s about surprising consumers with temporary ’performances’, guaranteeing exclusivity because of the limited timespan. When truly mobile, like Vacant, the London Fashion Bus or Oceanic, POP-UP RETAIL also offers unparalleled opportunities for targeting and customization.

From individual designers teaming up, to real estate agents making better use of vacant properties, to big brands looking to add a bit of ’cool’ and agility to their otherwise fixed locations and massive flagship stores: POP-UP RETAIL could do the trick. And let’s not forget the dozens of online pure-plays dying to get a bit of offline visibility... (How about Amazon.com Christmas stores in Düsseldorf and London?)


Aricle Source: TRENDWATCHING.COM