In this edition of the Glossy+ Research Briefing, we look back at how marketers used pop-up shops during the 2023 holiday season, as seen in recent data from Glossy+ Research.
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Pop-ups like “The Glass Box” remain hot marketing tactic
Hot topic: “The Glass Box” at The Grove in L.A. has a 24-month waiting list of brands eager to utilize the unique space, according to Jackie Levy, chief financial and revenue officer at property management company Caruso. The hot pop-up spot has been an attractive location for brands to propel sales and build awareness since 2016, thanks in part to The Grove’s 20 million annual visitors. In the past, brands like Skims, Saie, Outdoor Voices, Sézane, Beautycounter, Hourglass, Everlane and Glow Recipe have curated creative spaces within The Glass Box unique to each brand’s identity.
“A pop-up is a great way to get your foot into traditional retail and it can really propel a brand,” said Anita Gatto, a marketer who has done pop-up creative for Kylie Cosmetics and pop-up strategy for popular L.A. centers like Westfield Century City mall and The Beverly Center. “You do get a lot of data and market testing, but only a small amount of brands can have a strong ROI if they’re space constrained [and they’re not selling the right category].”
Research rewind: This past holiday season, slightly more than a third of marketers (34%) told Glossy+ Research that they expected to use pop-up shops. Pop-ups were the fourth most common activation after gift guides, brand experiences and social video hauls. And, pop-up shops’ popularity rose above other common marketing tactics like unboxing videos, physical catalogs/direct mail and placing ads on TV, CTV or OTT. Furthermore, research from Capital One Shopping found that 80% of retailers that have opened a pop-up shop considered it a success by their brand’s metrics and over half (58%) would open another pop-up. According to the Capital One study, projections indicate that market value of temporary retail spaces will exceed $95 billion by 2025.
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