If you’ve read our blog post, “What is a Pop-Up Shop?”, you already know all about the pop-up phenomenon in retail space. These shops typically last between three days and three months and tend to be more engaging and creative than typical retail stores.

If you’ve been paying attention to retail spaces and pop-ups, you may have noticed an even newer trend. Some of the “pop-ups” are looking less like flash retail and more like everyday stores. You might know about a “pop-up” that opened over six months ago or one that will be open indefinitely. What’s the difference between a long term pop-up and a traditional retail space? What are the benefits of labeling these stores as pop-ups? What can explain this trend of ongoing pop-up spaces, and why should you consider it for your business? We’ll give you a few examples of long-term pop-ups that worked, and what you can learn from them.

• Matchaful

Many of the customers that head into this cute café have no idea it’s even a pop-up shop. In fact, this “farm to whisk” organic matcha cafe began with a temporary location in Brooklyn, and then moved to its current Manhattan storefront. Starting as a temporary pop-up on a short lease is a great way to try out a few different locations and determine which one brings you the best ROI. Furthermore, a long-term pop-up is a great way to gain loyal customers and strengthen online retail space. Customers can taste test the product in the cafe, and then order a larger quantity from the website to make the same drink at home.

• Recess

“We canned a feeling. Come experience it IRL”. This pop-up shop isn’t just a bright cafe, it’s an experiential space that is dedicated to wellness with workshops and events. This union between experiential marketing and pop-up shops is perfect for an ongoing pop-up space. While an experiential marketing booth at a trade show, event, or even street corner can be very successful, it’s no secret that potential consumers are typically not able to immediately purchase the product. An experiential marketing campaign often requires viewers to find the product online or in a physical retail space in order to buy it. A long term pop-up is a great format to tap into the wide-eyed reactions of experiential marketing and immediately translate these impressions into sales.

• Dear Drew

A month after actress Drew Barrymore launched her clothing brand on Amazon Fashion, she popped up in an NYC retail location for 6 months. After her long-term pop-up, the brand transitioned exclusively to Amazon Fashion. Launching a physical space concurrent with an online brand launch is a great way to gain hype and name recognition in what can otherwise be a crowded online retail space. In addition, selling a line of products from a physical space is a great way to conduct valuable research on which products are most popular. This information can inform marketing strategy, online inventory, and more.

Whether you’re planning a pop-up space for a day or for a year, Wizard Studios is your best partner for its success. Get started today!