The Original Holiday Pop Up: What Retailers Can Learn From Spirit Halloween

 


Expectations are defied by holiday pop-up retail. In reality, the so-called retail apocalypse actually has many victims. Circuit City, Toys"R"Us and Borders all rest peacefully in the "shoppings of past". Despite all the deaths, there is one retailer that has remained strong and will continue to fight for its existence. It's brick-and mortar.

The air is cooling and pumpkin carvings are underway, so it's time to see the Spirit Halloween banners everywhere.

Locations that are a nightmare

Joseph Marver saw an opportunity on the market in 1983. He wasn't getting the attention that he desired for his dress shop, but a nearby shop selling costumes did. He decided to display costumes and put his dresses away for October. He was inspired to expand his idea and put up a display at a local mall the following year. Spirit Halloween is a specialty retailer that has grown to be a huge success.

Marver's shop was a new venture and didn't have the same foot traffic or name recognition as established shops like Sears or Walmart. Marver decided to rely on the popularity of the big boys.

This is a great strategy for holiday pop-ups: Ride the wave of traffic from nearby stores.

It's especially useful for brick-and-mortar chains that move around a lot. Spirit Halloween's annual lifespan is 60 to 90 days. It doesn't have the advantage of location recognition. The shops are mobile and may not be present in the same location the next year. Spirit Halloween's locations change each season. They are strategic and opportunistic, but they are never engraved in (tombstone).

Spirit Halloween travels to high-traffic areas in order to get noticed. Customers are already flocking to malls and mass merchandisers, where they shop for their goods. They can also stop by Spirit Halloween next door to pick up their holiday decor and toilet paper while they shop for home goods and household products (often with children).

A captivating business sense

Marver also saw that time was his friend. Like any holiday, Halloween is only relevant for two to three months. It was not efficient to dedicate a year-round company to the marketing of seasonal products.

It is a great way to cut costs by only being there for 60-90 days per year. Spirit Halloween's annual expenses are reduced by short-term leases and limited inventory. They also have a lot of inventory that can be reused - costumes, makeup, and vampire teeth are all in fashion for Halloween.

While the retail industry used not to approve of short-term leasing, commercial real estate companies are now embracing them. We discussed how Spirit Halloween is open-minded when it comes selecting holiday pop up locations. Look at what they did in 2009, when Circuit City entered the retail cemetery: The specialty store took over the 83 former Circuit City locations. This year, there will be many Spirit Halloween signs atop the distinctive logos of Toys "R" Us.

Spirit Halloween gets to benefit from the build-out of the old retailer, and also pays for a temporary lease. If Spirit Halloween decides to lease an empty store from a dead retailer, that's money in a bank for the agent. Temporary rent is better than none rent. This short-term rental money can be used to pay utility bills and property taxes.

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Scary scalability and shapeshifting adaptability

It's hard enough to plan and host one pop-up, but how about hosting 1,200? It is a daunting task.

Spirit Halloween has incorporated the idea of scaling into their DNA. Spirit Halloween has an easily replicable structure and a flexible business model which is very scalable. Spirit Halloween's website demonstrates the possibility to set up holiday pop-up shops that span from 3,000 to 50,000 square foot - an impressive range.

Spirit Halloween spends the remainder of the year analysing data to determine which locations are successful and which ones don't. They also analyze which products sell well and which don't. The brand can then optimize their stores and improve customer experiences every year. Which costumes will we see this year? It could be the Black Panther suit. Oder the Handmaid’s Tale robes

Ricky’s NYC is an iconic beauty shop with locations in Manhattan and Miami that uses Halloween to grow. To increase incremental sales (10% of their annual pull), and to collect data on customers, the chain opened seasonal pop-ups.

Party City uses the same strategy. Corporate may open a permanent Halloween City store if one of their Halloween City stores is a success.

Ghoulish, ghostly, and goodie-filled experiences

Candy corn's sweetness. Fog machines emit a strange mist. Monster Mash's familiar beats. These are the essential elements of Halloween.

Spirit Halloween stores aim to bring these themes together into a holiday experience that is all-inclusive. Holiday pop-up shops often include six or more haunted houses with music, lighting, and animatronics. The retailer creates a fun, spooky experience in the store that gets customers excited about the big night at end of the month. This keeps them coming back year after year.

The market for Halloween supplies, or any other holiday product, has become more competitive. Halloween Express and Halloween City are two examples of brick-and-mortar stores that are available. Target, Walmart and Five Below are all growing in popularity for Halloween supplies and other holiday products.

Spirit Halloween knows that in-store experiences are a major differentiator. In 2001, Steven Silverstein was appointed CEO Spencer's Gifts and Spirit Halloween. He made it a priority to improve the experience. This led to over 1,000 new stores each year in all 50 states.

In-store sense-driven elements do not have to be restricted to Halloween. Exciting through experience is possible year round. Cadbury might host a pop up experience for Easter and work with JOANN to allow shoppers to make their own Easter baskets. Easter is more about pastels and chocolate than it is about chocolate.

Spirit Halloween's original concept has proven to be widespread. The potential for temporary pop-ups that are tied to holidays is huge. They can be scaleable, experiential and generate massive revenue.

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