Newsletter #54 - 3 proven ways to attract, convert, and retain your customers in a pop-up store 🎪

Hello! 

 

I recently had the chance to interview Nicole Compen, founder of raye the store—a travelling London-based concept store that helps brands shine through immersive pop-up experiences 🚀

 

Nicole supports them from A to Z: product selection, visual merchandising, event planning, customer feedback collection...

 

raye the store has become a powerful springboard for brands to get noticed, validate their offer, and build meaningful connections with future customers 💗

 

 

Thanks, and see you soon.

 

After three incredible years leading the editorial line of the D2C Academy, it’s time for me to set sail towards new horizons ⛵️   No worries—the newsletter goes on! Cathy, writer of the Bigblue blog and expert in brand strategy, is taking over from this very first edition.   As for me, I’m taking a summer break before jumping into a new project this September, still within the world of e-commerce. And I wouldn’t be surprised if our paths crossed again…   A huge thank you for your loyalty and engagement over the years. It’s been a true pleasure to write, explore and share with you on a topic I’m deeply passionate about.   E-commerce has no limits—and the adventure is only just beginning.   See you soon, Julie

 

👀 Nail your packaging

 

Nicole is clear: “People buy with their eyes first.”

 

At raye, high standards don’t stop at the product—they start with how it’s presented.

 

📈 What she sees in top-performing brands:

 

• Visually strong, unique, well-packaged products
• Consistency between design, product promise and target audience
• A limited but crystal-clear assortment (3–5 hero products are enough to stand out)

 

 

 

💡 3 great resources to inspire your next packaging:

 

• Packaging of the World: curated selection of the most creative concepts
• Lovely Package: hundreds of packaging ideas by category
• Thingtesting: discover the latest trendy products and packaging directly in your Insta feed

 

 

🎙️ Don’t just rely on location—activate your community

 

Communicating at least 5 times about your pop-up can generate up to 30% more foot traffic 🔥

 

A great location means nothing if no one knows about it. Yet many brands stop at a single post.

 

Nicole’s recipe to make your pop-up shine:

 

• 📆 Build a 3-stage communication plan:
  • Teasing (countdown, prep content)
  • Live activation (stories, reels, mini-events)
  • Post-show recap (behind the scenes, best-of, customer feedback)
    
    

   

• 📢 Add a PR angle: a press release, blog article or newsletter mention can spark big reach (like Unbottled, who nailed it with a feature on Fashion Network 🌟)
  
  
• 💥 Leverage all your existing channels: social media, newsletter, post-purchase email, tracking page, website banner, email signature—every touchpoint counts.

 

 

🔎 How to find the right space?

 

Nicole recommends Appear Here or Storefront—you can filter by budget, dates, and target audience. And most importantly: visit the space in person to analyse footfall and surroundings!

 

 

🆕🎥 Unbottled - Managing 30,000 orders and 2,000+ retail points with just 2 people

 

Five years ago, Benjamin Legros and Sarah Pouchet launched their first line of solid cosmetics from their living room.   Today, Unbottled is a committed omnichannel brand, sold at Sephora, in pharmacies, and through 7 physical stores.   In our latest Bigblue Customer Story, Benjamin walks us through their fast and focused growth—closely supported by us as their logistics partner from day one.   With Bigblue, they’re able to:

• 🚚 Manage e-commerce, retail and B2B from a single platform
• 💻 Track operations in real-time
• 🌱 Align logistics performance with environmental values
• 🤝 And they do it all with just 2 people handling logistics!

 

📺 Click the image to discover Unbottled’s inspiring journey ⤵️

 

 

 

🧪 Turn your pop-up into a live product lab

 

A great pop-up = a real-time testing ground.

 

Some brands use it as a strategic lever:

 

• Huel used their pop-up to give subscribers a first taste of new snack recipes 🍫
  
  
• Simply Roasted, a crisp brand, turned theirs into a data collection machine (tastes, preferences, geographic zones… 🥔)

 

Nicole’s tips to make the most of every visitor:

 

• 🌐 Place a QR code or tablet at the exit with 2–3 quick questions (favourite product, purchase intent...)
  
  
• 👾 Gamify the experience to boost answers—think prize wheels, discounts, giveaways
  
  
• 🔍 Watch reactions live (where people stop, what they say, what they snap photos of)
  
  
• 🙋 Have someone from your product or marketing team on-site to catch key verbatims

 

 

 

 

📖 To go further

 

We’re sharing the full interview with Nicole—packed with even more tips and brand examples worth watching ➡️ here

 

 

 

That’s all for today!   See you soon,

Cathy & Julie
E-commerce Experts @ Bigblue