Consumers are tired with the mundane shopping experiences offered by most retailers today. They dislike convention. As big box retailers close their doors, opt for a smaller footprint, or fail to deliver an acceptable return to their shareholders, the age of bigger-is-better in retail is over. In their place is smaller, more agile and interesting forms of retail. One manifestation is pop up shops. They offer a more personal, shareable, and sensory shopping experience. Consumers can better connect with the merchant and their story.
Target and JC Penney have realized that this could be the future of retail and have launched their own store-within-a-store initiatives. Other retailers such as Sephora, Adidas, and H&M have launched mobile shipping-container pop up shops. This concept is also being explored from the bottom up by innovative startups. Here are six worth watching.
