Other Annenberg students have touched on the Pop-Up store craze discussing the madness that has ensued over experiences like CandyTopia, RoséMansion, The Museum of Ice Cream or Saved by the Bell, just to name a few. These pop-ups have quite literally popped up all over the place and slowly become a mindless, unoriginal, social media induced fad. Read Amanda Hess’s article in the NYTimes from September 2018 for a recap on the pop-up store industry, her personal experience and future trajectory of the trendy stores.
A new pop-up experience worth discussing is Charlotte Cho’s Soko House, who is the founder, along with her husband, of Soko Glam. I was unaware of Charlotte Cho and her now famous cosmetic, skincare, and beauty trends line Soko Glam, but evidently her 10-step Korean-inspired skincare routine has created a splash in the industry. Cho and her husband have opted to dive into the pop-up experience by introducing Soko House and particularly its unique feature Soko Sanctuary. At Soko House guests can enter the world of cosmetics and skincare similar to Sephora where they are able to purchase products and snap selfies for various social media platforms per the usual experience. However, the new and distinctive characteristic being marketed in this pop-up experience is its Soko Sanctuary where beauty enthusiasts can sit down behind a curtain, wash their face and actually experiment with the products. Another highlight are the professional skin care experts versus the typical temps hired to facilitate day-to-day operations.
In 2017, Cho and her team enlisted focus groups at its NYC headquarters to acquire qualitative data around consumer pain points in shopping for skincare products. The conclusion was that consumers did not find satisfaction in only testing make-up or a skincare product on a hand and welcomed the opportunity to test on the face. This inspired the Soko Sanctuary.
Additionally, Cho and her team plan on using the Soko Sanctuary as an observation tactic to discover if consumers are ready for more education and a higher touch point, which is provided in the intimate setting. In 541 and other MCM courses we have discussed various methods for collecting relevant data to validate our research projects. In 541 specifically, we have discussed the goal of consumer research, which is to learn as much about your target audience as possible. This includes looking at the consumers attitudes, lifestyles, media usage and purchase decisions. Furthermore, consumer research can take place by two phases 1) Qualitative (i.e. Interviews and Observations) and 2) Quantitative (i.e. Surveys). Looking at interviews, focus groups, are one key factor in receiving feedback beneficial for advertising ideas and new product concepts. I cannot comment if other pop-up experience innovators are conducting any kind of research to facilitate their decisions in determining achievable goals, but perhaps moving forward it would be beneficial.
References
Alcantara, A.M. (2019). Korean ecommerce brand Soko Glam is reinventing the makeup aisle with its pop-up shop. Adweek. Retrieved from
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/korean-ecommerce-brand-soko-glam-is-reinventing-the-makeup-aisle-with-its-pop-up-shop/?utm_content=position_3&utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningDigest_Newsletter_190627054550&lyt_id=498190#
Hess, A. (2018). The existential void of the pop-up ‘experience’. New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/arts/color-factory-museum-of-ice-cream-rose-mansion-29rooms-candytopia.html