The retail space has seen a lot of technological advancements, but perhaps none more impactful than the pop-up store. In fact, according to Storefront Magazine, temporary pop-up shops are expected to generate $50 billion annually across the globe, and have been accepted as a proven marketing strategy for big brands.
The pop-up store is a temporary space that provides customers with a full experience to products and brands in any environment. Until recently, most pop-ups only had access to conventional point-of-sale systems. But now, in the era of targeted advertising, big data analytics and AI, you can transform your pop-up into an interactive, intelligent space. With so many consumers starting their retail journeys online or on mobile devices, creating interactive and “sticky” experiences in-store are key to bringing people in and building loyalty. This brings us to what’s most revolutionary about the retail pop-up store— the establishment of the link that’s missing between a brand’s brick-and-mortar retail store and e-commerce website. Today’s connected pop-ups deliver a fully integrated customer experience using dazzling, state-of-the-art digital displays and cutting-edge mobile solutions, combined with analytics and AI.
By adding analytics capabilities, the digital pop-up shop goes beyond merely filling in the gap between the online and in-store experience. Intelligent pop-ups use behavior sensing analytics to enhance retail operations by providing real-time analytics for real-time decision-making, as well as innovative technologies to streamline the shopping experience. For example, retailers do not need to keep costly inventory on hand when they can fulfill demand through endless aisle using a mobile device while interacting face-to-face with a customer. Digital displays capable of distinguishing gender and age can serve up targeted ads and promotions to encourage a sale. Put simply, the pop-up store offers important benefits of online shopping while providing in-store visitors with a rich, engaging and memorable brand experience – all this while gathering real-time data points to help retail operators make smarter business decisions.
To sum it all up, when the pop-up store is connected to both a website and a physical store, it fills the retail blind spots of customer data by providing real-time data. In the past, store owners were limited to data that spoke to what customers did on their website and inside their physical store on a monthly or quarterly basis. With the Connected Pop-Up, you get the all-important data immediately on how your customers interact with your brand outside of the four walls of your store. Merging digital data, in-store data, and pop-up store data gives you a true 360° perspective on your audience and its perception of your brand.
Arnaud Cazaledes is the director, Solution Business Operations at Samsung SDS. Samsung SDS is a global software solutions and IT services company that helps retailers drive business by increasing productivity, safeguarding assets, and making smarter decisions.