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The Magic of Halloween Pop-Up Stores: More Than Just Shopping

As autumn paints the world in vibrant hues, a beloved tradition awakens the Halloween spirit – the emergence of Halloween pop-up stores. Strolling through bustling commercial districts, you can’t help but be captivated by a parade of pop-up stores selling a range of Halloween costumes, decor, and curiosities. In fact, these pop-up stores are more than mere retailers; they’re stage-setters for the grand holiday that looms on the horizon.

The way people celebrate Halloween has evolved over the years. Consequently, Halloween pop-up stores have evolved in tandem. In today’s social media-driven landscape, these stores don’t just offer products; they craft immersive micro-experiences that shape how we perceive and embrace this festive occasion. 

Today’s blog is an overview of the underrated Halloween pop-up store culture. 

The untold benefits of Halloween pop-up stores in marketing 

The burning question – will your business benefit from a Halloween pop-up store? The short answer: yes, Halloween pop-up stores aren’t just a seasonal trend. Rather, they are a dependable retail strategy. But we’ll let the below statistics convince you. 

  • 80% of retailers that have opened a pop-up store at some point in their marketing have seen success. This along with the general increase in purchase habits during Halloween brings a bigger chance of success.
  • About 66% of retailers reportedly use pop-up stores to strengthen brand awareness. Therefore, the spooky season allows you to tap into this advantage and make your target audience more aware of your brand. In turn, this gives your business a competitive edge. 
  • A survey by Zendesk showed that nearly 75% of people are ready to spend more on a brand after a good experience. So, with your Halloween pop-up stores, you have the opportunity to create such memorable experiences. As a result, you are investing in long-term relationships with your customers. 
  • A Google survey indicated that brands that opened pop-up stores noticed a 46% increase in their social-media engagement. During busy shopping seasons like Halloween, this can be a big deal for your brand. People are looking for ideas and recommendations online. So your brand has a better chance of reaching a wider group of audience. 
  • You own an ecommerce business and you have got nothing to do with physical stores. Should you still spend on pop-up stores? Of course. In fact, data shows that nearly 32% of pop-up stores opened in 2021 were by ecommerce brands. So, your online competitors are doing it. Time for you to join the league. 

Let’s now talk about some brands with exemplary track records in opening Halloween pop-up stores. 

Marketing lessons from brands that nailed the art of Halloween pop-up stores 

Unlike building anticipation and slowly nurturing relationships for traditional retail stores, things have to happen at a rapid pace when it comes to Halloween pop-up stores. So, from social media to traditional marketing channels, you need a robust and diverse marketing strategy to garner attention for your Halloween pop-up store. How do you do that? Let’s draw inspiration from some brands known well for their Halloween pop-up stores. 

1. Spirit Halloween

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Spirit Halloween is undoubtedly the haunting expert when it comes to Halloween pop-up stores. Founded in 1983, Spirit Halloween has revolutionized the Halloween retail culture in North America.

Leverage outdoor advertising 

Billboards and other outdoor advertising designs are pivotal in the success of local marketing strategies. Because they have the potential to make people stop and take a second look. Additionally, they have the potential to make people curious about a brand and what’s being advertised. All of these are crucial for a temporary retail store like a pop-up store. 

So, Spirit Halloween does not miss a chance to advertise online and remind people of the exciting deals coming to their pop-up stores that year. 

The above campaign in particular combines the power of outdoor advertising and social media engagement. 

KIMP tip: From the signature brand color orange to the logo font and skeleton brandmark, the outdoor ad retains all the essential branding elements for quick recall. This is important especially since the ad here appears amidst outdoor ads from other brands. Therefore, letting your brand identity define your brand is a good approach. 

Timing is everything 

Timing is everything in the world of Halloween pop-up stores. According to data, several people start their Halloween shopping by the first week of September. With this in mind, Spirit Halloween is quick to open its pop-up stores. This is a practice to tap into the early shopping spikes that happen in the fall. 

The brand also starts promoting its stores by posting teasers and details about opening dates on its social media pages. The Spirit Halloween flagship pop-up store opens in July and the brand starts promotions in June or earlier. 

KIMP Tip: Want to know the right time to plan your Halloween pop-up stores? Analyze the Halloween shopping trends in your locality. This will help you get a headstart and make a difference.  

Make relevant and irresistible product recommendations 

When there are several Halloween pop-up stores in a locality, and various online retailers who sell Halloween supplies, why should consumers choose your brand? Give them reasons they cannot resist. for example, take the below post from Spirit Halloween. In this case, the brand leverages a timeless idea – celebrity outfit inspiration. Accordingly, the post gives a product recommendation for fans to recreate Dojo Cat’s iconic look. 

Ideas like these work with audiences who are looking to dress up as their favorite celebrities for costume parties that year. Targeting specific niches like this can be hugely beneficial to pop-up stores. 

2. Halloween Alley 

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Halloween Alley is Canada’s renowned Halloween store chain known particularly for its dazzling pop-up stores that open close to Halloween. Let’s look at some of the promotional strategies used by Halloween Alley to build anticipation for its Halloween pop-up stores. 

Building a community through social media 

Halloween Alley keeps its social media followers engaged by sharing insider information, such as the opening dates of their stores. This strategy builds anticipation and encourages customers to mark their calendars, ensuring a strong turnout on opening day. For pop-up stores, creating a sense of excitement and urgency through social media announcements is a powerful way to drive foot traffic.

Staying on top of trends 

Keeping a finger on the pulse of Halloween trends is a marketing strategy that Halloween Alley excels at. They swiftly adapt to changing tastes and preferences, ensuring that their pop-up stores are stocked with the latest and most sought-after items. In fact, pop-up stores must be agile and responsive to consumer preferences, making trend-spotting an essential part of their marketing arsenal.

For instance, Halloween Alley introduced Barbie-themed costumes to leverage the recent popularity of the theme thanks to the movie released a few months ago. They shared this exciting news with their customers on social media, giving them something to look forward to in the pop-up stores this year.

KIMP Tip: Since Halloween pop-up stores are a temporary thing for a retailer, it gives you a good chance to explore trends without worrying about making changes to your more long-term setups like your main stores. To label sections that follow specific trends or to promote them online, remember to stay true to the particular theme’s visual identity. Like the pink theme in the above post from Halloween Alley. 

The overall visual style of the post instantly reminds people of the recent Barbie movie. 

Need help creating on-brand visuals that stay true to the theme in focus? Get KIMP! 

3. Grandin Road 

Grandin Road Halloween pop-up store

Among the many things that the popular home decor brand Grandin Road is known for, its fancy Halloween pop-up stores are one. Their extravagance and the immersive experience they offer are some of their standout features. Now how does the brand make its marketing efforts for these pop-up stores work? Let’s find out. 

Creating virtual experiences 

While you are targeting locals with your Halloween pop-up stores, you cannot afford to make your other audience groups feel left out. Creating virtual walkthroughs of your store is one way to avoid this. And Grandin Road does that perfectly. 

The below image shows a glimpse into the Grandin Road concept store at Macy’s Herald Square set up in 2016. Grandin Road created a virtual walkthrough experience of the store. 

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For pop-up stores, this strategy provides a sneak peek into what awaits customers, building excitement and curiosity. It demonstrates that even temporary physical spaces can benefit from digital marketing that extends the brand’s reach beyond the store itself.

Take customers behind the scenes 

The below video shared on the Grandin Road YouTube page might be old but the strategy still remains one of the most sought-after marketing strategies – sharing behind-the-scenes content. 

This strategy humanizes the brand and allows customers to connect on a more personal level. In the context of Halloween pop-up stores, sharing behind-the-scenes moments can foster a sense of thrill. Customers instantly realize the efforts that go into putting the store together for them. They even gather information about the kind of merchandise to look forward to that particular year. 

Social media contests 

Grandin Road embraces social media contests as a means of engaging and rewarding their online community. For brands that plan to do Halloween pop-up stores as an annual tradition, creating a strong online community is a must-have in the marketing strategy. 

Social media contests have the potential to create a buzz – just what a pop-up store needs! 

The below contest announced by Grandin Road was a photo and video contest. Ideas like these increase brand mentions on social media thus increasing the brand’s visibility. This boost to visibility helps the brand stand out even in a busy season like Halloween. Additionally, brands are also left with valuable user-generated content to enhance their social media engagement. 

Now that we’ve seen some of the effective strategies that help popular brands in the Halloween pop-up store segment, let’s also talk about some of the marketing designs that you need to make these strategies work. 

Essential marketing designs to promote your Halloween pop-up stores 

Flyers 

Local marketing feels incomplete without flyers. Don’t forget to highlight the new collections or flagship items for customers to look out for. Add a QR code that embeds directions to your store to make your flyers more interactive. Or better yet, add an exclusive coupon that customers can carry with them to the store for discounts. This gives them a reason to hold on to the flyer and to visit your store as well. 

The below flyer design by KIMP promotes a Halloween event but it shows how flyers can be used to keep customers informed of whatever you are promoting – your pop-up stores in this case. 

Flyer design by KIMP 
Outdoor advertising 

Outdoor ads of all kinds like billboards in high-traffic areas, mobile billboards, and outdoor furniture help in getting customers excited about your pop-up stores. 

Like the Spirit Halloween billboard example we discussed a while ago, give customers a reason to read your billboard or engage with it. 

Social media designs 

Use social media to post shop opening dates, teasers of any details for the year, or contests like the Grandin Road idea we discussed. And one way to lay the foundation for this is dressing up your social media feed for the occasion.

Furthermore, you can create Grid posts for a more organized social media aesthetic for visual Feeds like Instagram. Social media can also be a great place to keep your customers informed about stocks of particular products, bestsellers for the season, and other nuances to initiate conversations about your Halloween pop-up stores. 

Email 

When it comes to personalized communication, email is one of the most effective options. Therefore, it makes a wonderful channel of communication to promote your Halloween pop-up stores.

On that note, your emails can include exclusive discounts, shopping guides, or even glimpses from the previous year’s pop-up stores to excite your audience about what’s coming. 

In-store marketing designs 
  • In-store signage – Eye-catching signage with Halloween-themed fonts and graphics to guide and engage customers.
  • Interactive displays – Interactive displays can be used to guide customers through the store. Immersive displays with motion-activated props or augmented reality features can captivate shoppers and create a memorable experience.
  • Branded on-theme banners – these can be used to label themed sections, each with its unique ambiance and décor.
  • Photo booths and selfie stations – Set up themed photo booths or selfie stations for customers to capture and share their Halloween moments on social media. This is one way to create an omnichannel experience with your Halloween pop-up stores. 

Make your Halloween pop-up store promotions work with KIMP designs 

Opening a Halloween pop-up store can be intimidating. However, with the right marketing strategies and the right kinds of designs to materialize these strategies, you are all set. Once you are clear about the strategies part, leave the design part to the KIMP team.

Just tell us what theme and objectives you have in mind and the KIMP team can help create cohesive branded visuals to promote your Halloween pop-up store. 

Want to see how a design subscription works? Start with a risk-free 7-day free trial. 

Posted On

26 Sep, 2023

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