Customer Reactions to Pop-Up Store Communications

Abstract

To date, research has focused on traditional or virtual store atmosphere influences on consumer behaviors. In the case of ephemeral stores, social media messages also stimulate consumers’ responses. Inspiring from a stimulus-response model, this study aims to investigate the nature of social media messages and the responses they elicit from consumers in the case of ephemeral stores. A sample of 25 fashion brands was observed through a “nethnography” for 3 months. Research findings showed that social media messages contribute to consumer online/offline journeys, promote customer-brand instant in-store exchanges, influence in-store behaviors and yield to information co-production.