As we edge closer to Christmas, the number of shoppers hitting the high street is already increasing. As the crowds begin to build, retailers become eager to ensure that their shop displays are drawing in a large proportion of the festive shoppers. Ali Newton, marketing executive for The Display Centre, tells Footwear Today more
Pop-up shops are a great way to attract customers during the Christmas rush. They have several tricks up their sleeves when it comes to drawing customers inside — and footwear retailers are no different. Let’s take a look at three reasons why a Christmas pop-up shoe shop is a great idea.
Revenue generation
Pop-up shops are only around for a limited amount of time, so if you must choose a time to be up and running, the Christmas rush is an excellent choice. Not only does a Christmas pop-up shop only have to commit to paying for a short-term lease of the space, it also benefits from having to plan its stock for a much shorter period. This, combined with either temporary staff or making use of current staff, results in relatively low overheads with low commitment. This, in combination with a healthy turnover of customer traffic, can result in a large, quick cash injection into the business.
In addition, because of the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ nature of a pop-up shop, a real sense of urgency is created. This encourages customers to buy then and there, so as not to miss out once you shut up shop and move on. This, combined with the volume and tradition of Christmas spending, helps pop-up shops make large numbers of sales in a short space of time.
Time to engage with your customers
A pop-up shop provides an excellent opportunity, particularly for online retailers, to communicate with customers face-to-face. This offers two valuable benefits. The first is that you are given the chance to educate prospective customers on your business model and why your brand stands apart from the rest. Secondly, it gives retailers the opportunity to learn from their customers. When selling face-to-face, retailers get the chance to really understand what customers do and don’t like about the product. This means that they can learn things such as the packaging isn’t complementary to the product, or that there are shoe brands or styles that customers are looking for which aren’t currently stocked.
Excellent brand support
A pop-up shoe shop not only provides a retailer with an excellent chance to educate customers about their brand, but also to demonstrate it. As well as display their products, retailers can create a shop atmosphere that helps attract the brand’s target customers.
For example, a footwear retailer that specialises in shoes for young people will want particularly modern retail fixtures and fittings. If your footwear is designed for hiking, displays that project an outdoorsy, adventurous theme should be used. Much like an advert, the shop window and shop display help draw customers towards the products. In addition, a brand, if well supported, can add perceived value. The chance to have a product in front of customers with the right presentation should not be missed by online retailers.
Pop-ups on the high street are also valuable for retailers that already have physical shops, as it offers them a space in which to support the brand more creatively. For example, Adidas created a pop-up shop in London, in which children were given 24 seconds to jump to the height of a basketball rim to retrieve the latest trainer design from an NBA star. This helped create a massive buzz, so don’t be afraid to get creative with your pop-up store.
Pop-up shops are becoming an increasingly popular way of trialling products and increasing brand awareness. They attract a lot of attention very quickly, particularly when the location, setup, style and stock are all tailored to your target audience.
