A $10 billion sub-industry, pop-up stores go far beyond brand awareness these days. They have become a necessary part of every go-to-market strategy, for traditional bricks & mortar retailers, but just as much for online focused brands.

Here are 7 key advantages that can be delivered from a pop-up store activation:

1. Test New Revenue Streams
2. Engage Customers Offline
3. Create Massclusivity – “get it while it lasts” urgency
4. Sell Seasonally – key periods, seasonal products & service focus. For example, 61% of shoppers list seasonal products as the main reason to shop at a pop-up store
5. Educate New Customers
6. Meet your Customers where they are – imagine food trucks for any retail solution
7. Get instafamous – In today’s social media age, these experiences will then be documented extensively by consumers and influencers on Instagram or Snapchat, creating an organic advertisement campaign that travels through valuably linked networks.

According to a PopUp Republic poll. On top of seasonal products, Pop-up shoppers are also looking for:

• Unique services/products (39%)
• Localized assortments (36%)
• Optimal pricing (34%)
• Convenience (33%)
• A fun experience (30%).

Starting a pop-up shop can serve as a “toe-in-the-water” for businesses looking to test a new location, a new promotional approach or a whole new product range. Launching a pop-up store is approximately 80% less expensive than opening up a traditional brick-and-mortar store.

Another pop-up store method to even further mitigate cost and risk is the store-within-a-store concept. Several brands have partnered with major retailers, such as David Jones and JB-HiFi, to showcase and sell related relevant items via in-store pop-ups. These partnerships enable brands to introduce their products with the guarantee of targeted customer foot traffic from those retail landlords.

In a time where young people crave drastically interesting experiences, brands have shifted their budgets from traditional advertising toward live brand activation efforts. In this current time, there is an ever-changing, unstable brick-and-mortar retail environment. Combine that with the bursting potential for experiential and you have the perfect base for the pop-up economy to explode.