Part 2: Pop-Up Shops and Stakeholders
Chapter 4: Stakeholders of Pop-Up Retail Operations
Chapter Overview
Pop-up shops have now become part of omni-channel retail strategies for many retailers, from small independent stores to global chains. In addition, non-retailers, such as celebrity artists, band manufacturers, as well as community groups are also involved in implementing pop-up retail operations to serve their unique purposes. For example, music artists, such as Kanye West, the Weeknd and Justin Bieber, have all used pop-ups as a promotional strategy to engage with their fans1 and the pop-ups were strategically planned to correspond to their tour schedule and venues.2 The WoodGreen Community Services along with the Danforth Avenue East Community Association (DECA) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the other hand, has initiated a pop-up project to revitalize the streetfronts of a downtown business district. Over a period of five years, they helped to bring in 32 pop-up shops which successfully reduced the vacancy rates of the area from 17% to 5%. Meanwhile, large brands/retailers such as Samsung, IKEA Canada and Muji, have all used pop-ups to promote new products, provide unique experiences for consumers, and/or test new markets.
Internationally, pop-up shops have been implemented in many markets such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Australia has seen a number of pop-up projects, such as Renew Newcastle, to revitalize local neighbourhoods3, whereas in the UK, a mobile pop-up box park made of cargo shipping containers represented a novice pop-up shop format4. In Canada and the US, pop-up has become a staple in the playbooks of established companies.5
A number of people and organizations are actively involved in the planning and execution of a pop-up shop. Those who have vested interest or concern in a business are called stakeholders. This chapter will cover topics related to the stakeholders of pop-up shops.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the chapter, readers will be able to:
- Identify key stakeholders of pop-up retail operations.
- Distinguish inputs, costs and risks for each stakeholder group in pop-up retailing.
- Assess strategies for working with each stakeholder when implementing a pop-up retail operation.
Setting the Context
VIDEO
The following video presents some examples of the types of stakeholders that may be involved in a pop-up shop activation.
The scene introduces a documentary producer who meets with a pop-up expert to discuss who she might consider interviewing on camera. The two identify how brands or retailers, landlords and even members of the community may be impacted by a pop-up shop in their building or neighbourhood.
1. Stakeholders of a Pop-Up Shop
1.1 A Model of Stakeholders in Pop-Up Retailing
The concept of stakeholder has been well recognized and researched in the literature of business studies. In recent years, considerable effort has been devoted to refining and further dev