Also known as pop-up retail or flash retail, pop-up shops are changing the way brands engage their audience. Keep reading to learn more about pop-up shops, from a basic definition to some design tips to make the most of your flash retail strategy.
What Is a Pop-Up Shop?
Simply put, a pop-up shop is a retail space that exists only for a very limited amount of time.
Pop-up shops take the concept of flagship store into the 21st century, where audiences are always on the lookout for viral sensations and love spontaneous events like flash mobs and other forms of guerrilla marketing.
The popularity of pop-up shops among brands and consumers is easy to explain when you think of all the benefits of flash retail:
- Memorable and fun.
- Creates a sense of urgency.
- Gives brands the chance to test new ideas.
- Raises brand awareness.
- Builds brand loyalty.
This is a great advertising tool when you need to introduce a new line of products, promote a seasonal sale, generate buzz in your community, or simply take brand awareness through the roof.
A Brief History of Pop-Up Shops
In a sense, pop-up shops have been around since the middle ages at least. For example, farmer’s markets or seasonal Christmas markets can be considered early iterations of pop-up retail.
However, the origins of today’s pop-up shops can be traced back to the late 1990s. In many ways, this was a pivotal time. The internet was beginning to change the expectations of consumers, who rewarded originality and sought original experiences.
According to a 2016 study, the first pop-up store appeared in Tokyo in 1999, when a clothing store announced that it was closing short them. The news generated so much interest among customers that the owner decided to close the shop for good and reopen it in changing places.
In 2000, when that same shop opened for a few weeks in New York, the brand became an international hit and attracted more new customers than ever. Pop-up retail was born. Since then, the list of industries that use flash retail has grown to include, among others:
- Fashion
- Apparel
- Technology
- Communications
- Furniture
- Food and beverage
- Beauty and self-care
- Jewelry
If you feel that pop-up shops are everywhere nowadays, you’re right. Pop-up shops remain a top marketing trend, and a sure-fire way to draw attention to your brand and your products or services.
Pop-Up Shops and Large Format Printing
Large format printing and pop-up shops are like bread and butter.
The main goal of pop-up retail is to surprise your audience by transforming a space suddenly and unexpectedly. That happens to be the strong suit of digital large format printing.
But most important of all, when it comes to pop-up retail, originality is key, and digital printing is the ideal medium to bring even the most ambitious ideas to life.
For example, what about a pop-up shop on the water? With boat wraps it’s possible.
But what if you want to turn vans or buses into mobile pop-up shops? With vehicle graphics, it couldn’t be easier.
These are only two of many interesting examples. Whether you want to turn a building into a shoebox or create a groovy living room to display clothing within a mall, you can rest assured that large format printing can make it happen with visual solutions that include:
- Wall graphics
- Floor graphics
- Window graphics
- Vinyl banners
- Exhibition and display
- Yard signs
- POP and POS displays
Also, let’s not forget that with fast turnaround times and affordable costs, digital large format printing is the ideal fit for pop-up shops.
Why Choose CR&A Custom for Your Pop-Up Shop
Looking to get started on pop-up retail? You’ve come to the right place. We are a large format printing company based in Los Angeles known for our drive to serve our clients and our advanced printing capabilities.
We offer a full range of large format printing solutions: building wraps, wall graphics, window decals and graphics, vehicle wraps, and more.
Interested in learning more? Contact us today by email (info@cracustom.com), telephone (213-749-4440), social media (Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn), or through the live chat on our home page.
