Pop-Up Retail
The Evolution, Application and Future of Ephemeral Stores
Routledge Focus on Business and Management Series

Ephemeral stores, also known as pop-up stores, have existed since the beginning of trade between consumers. They appeared in city centres, villages or other convenient places where they proposed an offering and then disappeared as soon as its offering was wearied. This is a very similar experience to the current phenomenon; ephemeral stores appear unannounced and disappear without notice or can morph into something else. Brands adopt these stores because of the array of benefits they present and their characterizing features. Consumers, on the other hand, are not only positively reactive to ephemeral stores, they actively demand these novel, engaging, satisfying or beneficial stores more than ever as they provide them with constant change and surprise.

Focusing on ephemeral retailing, this book aims to provide a clear understanding of what it is, how it developed and why it gained importance in today?s busy retail scene. As many brands are adopting ephemeral stores into their distribution channels or using them as unique touchpoints, this book proposes a categorization of ephemeral retailing, explaining different ephemeral store vocations based on different brand strategies and objectives. With many professional opinions about ephemeral stores and a body of academic research developing, this book aims to combine all knowledge about the topic into one concise publication: it clarifies, consolidates and creates a clear understanding about the topic of ephemeral retailing that will inform future research and activity.

The book is written for academics, students and retail professionals with an interest in relevant fields such as retail marketing and management, brand management and distribution.

Introduction 1. From Retail to Ephemeral Retail 2. What Are Ephemeral Stores and How Can We Define Them? 3. Somewhere Between Communications and Distributions: Categorizing Ephemeral Stores 4. Understanding the Future by Looking at the Past Conclusion

Ghalia Boustani is a researcher at Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne and holds a Doctorate degree from Ecole Supérieure des affaires. Her main research interest is in ephemeral retailing; she has developed her first research on pop-up stores in the Middle East and now is focusing her research on studying pop-up stores in Europe.