Advertisement

Faster, cheaper, more direct: why Hong Kong’s pop-up shops are here to stay

Smaller retailers and younger brands want to avoid the costs and hassle of a long-term lease, landlords like to get empty spots filled, and customers love the chance to interact with a retailer in a new way

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
The Seoul 10 Soul Korean fashion pop-up at I.T. in Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay,

Retail may be suffering in Hong Kong, but pop-up shops and events have proven to be a lucrative opportunity for designers and brands looking to reconnect with the local consumer.

Although the pop-up isn’t a new concept, all segments of the market are welcoming it, as a testing ground for everything from disruptive concepts to specific products and categories, while offering shoppers a more personalised brand interaction.

“Pop-ups have proven popular when it comes to pushing out new product lines and creating unique experiences, says Kit Chan, co-founder of PopUp Angels, a unique service that helps retailers find short-term spaces while handling logistics and set-up.

6 fashion brands winning millennials over

“Shiseido, for example, just did a pop-up just to promote a specific line of lipsticks, which is otherwise difficult to do in their current retail spaces as they have to accommodate their entire product line. Columbia also did a pop-up just to promote their online store to customers who traditionally shop in-store,” he says.

In a bad economy, pop-up shops are a godsend for smaller retailers looking to avoid long-term costs and leases. Young designers in the city in particular have embraced the pop-up as a way to connect with their customers in the absence of a bricks and mortar store.

The Seoul 10 Soul pop-up.
The Seoul 10 Soul pop-up.

“As a young brand, it’s difficult for customers to find you because it’s unlikely that you have a permanent store since the barriers to entry are so high,” says Priscilla I’Anson, founder of fashion label PI’A. “PI’A sells internationally online via our website. However, selling in-person and having that one-to-one contact with my customers is so invaluable to us and we see our sales soar tenfold when we do pop-ups.”

Advertisement