We left behind a tough year for many industries, especially for retail and hospitality. The challenge continues: some stores are still closed or have severe limitations. People are encouraged to stay at home, while some have fled the cities. Brands cannot interact with the customers traditionally; alternative channels need to be investigated. Which is why pop-ups gained new popularity in 2020 and will do so along 2021.
//Pre-pandemic
Pop-ups have been part of the retail’s ecosystem for several decades, serving multiple purposes. Since the advent of the internet, launching a pop-up has been a chance to reflect on what the brand cannot address online. And fill that gap during the pop-up experience. At the same time, brands have had the opportunity to learn more about consumers’ taste and develop further products, services or strategies.
Brands have used the pop-up format to investigate new ways of connection:
- involving consumers in the brand’s story;
- addressing the community;
- maximizing the limited amount of time to impress the public.
These were relevant question and will remain relevant.
What has not changed: pop-ups will continue to be a tool to experiment and find out which is the best solution for each destination. Some cities might need a flagship, other areas might need a seasonal solution, for instance.
In the future, the experimentation will become increasingly needed. Brands are trying to understand how consumer behaviour has evolved since the pandemic started and is still evolving.
Despite the changes in behaviour, desire and taste, visually appealing, tactile, and instagramable will remain core characteristics.
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Photography Credit: GoPopup
