Aussie Pop Up Marketing Done Right
Looking for a different way to catch your customers’ attention? Pop-up stores can be an excellent way to generate hype around a product or brand. Pop-ups are especially useful for e-commerce stores that might not have a fixed shop front. They offer the chance to increase brand awareness while bringing in a temporary added revenue stream. You can use pop-ups to boost sales during a certain time and to capitalise on impulse purchasing.
Pop-up shops are a good, low risk way to test the market before committing to a permanent store. They offer the chance to tangibly showcase your products in action. This allows consumers to review the goods in person, which increases the likelihood of higher customer engagement and ongoing loyalty. Demoing your product and sharing the brand’s story in-person will increase authentic engagement, as well.
Keep scrolling for inspiration from some creative examples of successful pop-up stores and events that have landed throughout Australia in the past few years.
Aesop Pop-up at MONA FOMA
Luxury skincare brand Aesop commissioned a local architecture studio, Partners Hill, to create a pop-up installation called Chamber of Light and Shadow. The installation showcased their products at the popular MONA FOMA festival in Tasmania. This annual music festival is held by the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart (MONA) which is infamous for its controversial art collection owned by professional gambler, David Walsh. Aesop drew in festival goers by offering a moment’s reprieve from the sun in the timber pavilion. The whimsical installation surrounded by foliage created a sense of concealment which attracted people's curiosity. Aesop utilised the opportunity of a hot day to showcase their products, offering sunscreen, after-sun cooling aloe vera lotion, and even had scent-infused bracelets for people at the festival.
Like Aesop, when selecting a location for your pop-up, consider the circumstances and location. What would best fit the theme of the event and how can your brand creatively collaborate with it? Make sure you showcase your products to the right target audience.
Cadbury Free Chocolate
As part of their ‘Share the Taste’ campaign, Cadbury promoted one of their key messages of creating a true moment of connection with free chocolate. At this pop-up, Cadbury encouraged consumers to play the classic game of Scissors, Paper, Rock with a participant from another state or territory. This was done through virtual screens located in various places in Australia such as shopping malls and Cadbury mobile vans. All participants received a free block of Cadbury’s signature Dairy Milk chocolate. They also featured other activities such as Tic Tac Toe and see-saws.
The hashtag #sharethetaste was used to allow participants to share their experience through social media, meaning that Cadbury could easily cash in on user-generated content. This campaign reminded consumers of their love for Cadbury in time for the release of their ‘Packed with Yum!’ range.
When planning your own pop-up, think about the key messages and brand values you want to communicate to your audience during the event.
Red Rock Deli Pop-Up Store
Red Rock Deli’s pop-up store in Sydney allowed customers to personalise their own packet of chips. This involved each customer choosing their preferred flavour combinations through an interactive process, plus creating personalised labels. The store used real time sales data to target consumers with tailored messages promoting certain flavours based on the stock levels in-store. The amount of messages that were promoted in store at certain times were also altered based on the activity level within the store, to improve customer experience. The ability to create unique flavour combinations attracted customers and showcased Red Rock Deli’s innovative new flavours.
Similar to Red Rock Deli utilising the trend of personalisation, consider what trends would be suitable to incorporate into your pop-up to intrigue customers.
SamsungTV Art Gallery Pop-Up
To celebrate the launch of its new TV called “The Frame”, Samsung launched a four week interactive art gallery in Sydney. This unique TV transforms into a piece of art when turned off. The gallery featured a variety of characters who came to life to talk about their artwork and interacted with each other. This pop-up demonstrated Samsung’s vision of combining technology and art in their new product and effectively showcased their unique selling point.
Make sure to highlight any unique selling points incorporated in your product or brand during your pop-up. It is a prime opportunity for potential customers to experience the best of your product for themselves.
POP Canberra
Pop Canberra made a return for 2019’s holiday season with more than 105 all-Canberra brands across its shelves. Supporting and promoting local makers and businesses, Pop Canberra offered a colourful and diverse range of gift ideas such as homeware, jewellery, perfume and chocolates. All products on sale were proudly made locally in Canberra. Only open for a limited time throughout November and December, this popular pop-up included a number of exclusive products in-store as well.
Pop Canberra also featured an upstairs space dedicated to running workshops, teaching people various creative and practical skills. These workshops proved quite popular, with limited spaces always filling up. This shows that an important element of a good pop-up is finding innovative ways to add extra value to your consumer’s lives and purchasing experience, in addition to selling them great products. Due to high demand from the pop-up store, Pop Canberra has since made an online comeback.
Creative Pop-Up Stores: Do It Yourself
Aesop, Cadbury, Samsung and Pop Canberra were some brands that have successfully created positive relationships with customers through pop-ups. Bringing their brand into a physical and interactive space is a great marketing strategy, which you should consider particularly if you are selling online. Pop-ups offer the opportunity to elevate your brand with real-life exposure, an ideal low-risk stepping stone for e-commerce businesses. Try taking on inspiration from these brands to create your own unique pop-up, and aim to provide your customers with a unique experience they will remember.