E-tailers warm up to "pop-up stores" at malls

From a Businessworld  article:

The assistants at the kiosk walk consumers through the process of shopping online, availing exciting discounts and buying products. Since its launch on 21 December, the pop-up store has already spiked new shoppers on its website by 70 per cent. “The idea was to get feedback on the products, brands, price points directly from the consumer,” says Sujal Shah, CEO and co-founder of Freecultr. 

The pop-up trend for etailers started early last year, and has picked up pace over the months with increasing success. Brands use these temporary spaces in malls to engage with their customers and establish an interest in their products. “Pop-up stores create a touch-point for a business that is largely impersonal. They provide customers a sense of gratification that helps them in their purchasing decisions,” explains Chaitanya Aggarwal, founder-CEO of Juvalia & You India.

Since it launched in India last year, Berlin-based jewellery etailer Juvalia & You has set up several pop-ups. It tries to do pop-ups every weekend at popular malls in big metros since such efforts result in a subsequent increase in organic traffic on the website. These 150-200 sq. ft stores allow customers to place orders and have products delivered at their doorstep. “These serve a dual purpose of allowing us to showcase our products to the existing network of stylists and also spread awareness about the brand to the customers,” says Aggarwal.

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