The Rise of Pop-Up Retail: Investigating the Success of Experiential Design within Pop-Up Stores

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore design factors behind successful pop-up shops and how design elements in these environments can enhance the consumer experience. Since pop-up shops are defined as “impermanent” environments, the connection between the consumer experience and design elements such as colors, lighting, materiality, form, and layout can have a meaningful impact in raising brand awareness and potentially influence sales. This exploratory and qualitative research collected data based on direct observations of six pop-up retail stores in the New York City region. This study provides better insight to designers and companies on the importance of design strategies within environments in this quickly growing industry to create memorable experiences for consumers.