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Today, I want to look at an inexpensive and highly effective way to enhance your brand.

Several years ago, The Industrious explored some novel ideas with the Dutch men’s fashion retailer Only for Men to set up pop-up stores in shipping containers across the Netherlands. It’s a trend that has since expanded globally — Tesla is currently using it to reach new markets worldwide — and it’s a very effective way to bring novel experiences to your customers where they are, instead of waiting for them to come to you.

Only for Men owner Arthur Feenstra told Textilia at the time that the company used a simple strategy to decide where to place the pop-ups: with 15 percent of Only for Men’s sales coming from digital channels, the company looked for locations where a group of online purchases were being made, but where Only for Men didn’t already have a retail location — and opened pop-ups there.
This kind of nimble, engaging solution brings with it several unique benefits.

First, convenience. We might think it’s convenient to sit at our desks and click to order something online, but we do have to wait at least a day or two to receive it. Not so with retail — particularly if you’re able to use pop-ups like these to bring the store and the product to where you know your customers will be.

Second, the quality of the customer experience. Pop-ups like these offer a novel and exciting way for consumers to touch and interact with your product, feel smart for having chosen your brand — and give you an opportunity to have a conversation with the consumer that allows content to be created.

A deployment like this is also a perfect fit for showbranding — improving the retail experience by showcasing with select adjacent brands to enhance the shopper’s visit. If you’re bringing a pop-up store to the places you know your customers will be, what else will they need to complete the experience, and what partners can help you deliver that?

Let’s say your customer is heading to the beach — she might stop off somewhere to pick up supplies, but how different would her experience be, how much more convenient, rewarding and memorable, if a beach-appropriate pop-up was waiting for her in the parking lot at the beach itself?

Finally, digital technology is key to making a space like this engaging and exciting. With the limited square footage available in a shipping container, you have to keep it open and airy — and you want to make the best possible use of the space you have. Well-designed digital interactive displays can provide light, motion and activity, with images tailored to the person who stands in front of them.

In the weeks to come, we’ll continue exploring new ways to transform the retail experience for your customers, empowering Hi-Touch retail for 2021 and beyond.

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