Virtual pop-up shop

What is a virtual pop‑up shop?

A virtual pop-up shop is a digital, limited-time retail experience that is designed to mimic the urgency of a physical pop-up event. It is a temporary digital storefront that operates for a short period, such as a weekend or a few weeks, and is designed to help promote new product launches, limited-edition products, seasonal collections, or special collaborations. 

Think of it as a branded showroom that your audience can access through their phone, tablet, or computer. The store has a 360-degree product viewer, AR virtual try-ons, interactive elements, video content, and live shopping events.

Benefits of a virtual pop-up store

A virtual pop-up shop has benefits that can drive your business growth and expansion. Below are some of the most impactful benefits:

1. Cost-effective setup

A physical store will need a budget for renting physical space, hiring staff, and investing in interior design, whereas a virtual pop-up significantly reduces those operational costs.

With it, there’s no need for a lease, utilities, or maintenance, as it's designed to function digitally. It is the ideal solution for large brands seeking to launch creative campaigns, as well as for small businesses with limited budgets. 

2. Global access

A virtual pop-up shop takes your brand beyond the limitations of your region. It gives you visibility to a global audience and opens up international opportunities. It helps both small and established brands to reach international customers and test demand in new markets.

3. Valuable insight generation

It shows which parts of your product receive the most attention and are most interacted with, as well as where users tend to drop off. These data can be used to guide marketing and product improvement.

4. Fast market testing

For brands looking to test how a new product will perform in the market, there’s no better method than a virtual pop-up shop. It’s less risky and has an environment to showcase your product to an authentic audience. You can gather relevant feedback that can be used to analyze your shopping behavior before committing to a full-scale launch.

5. Perfect for short-term campaign

If you want to test a short-term campaign, a virtual pop-up shop is the perfect fit. It's built to create a sense of urgency that traditional online stores often lack. Shoppers are more likely to explore, decide, and purchase quickly when they know the opportunity won’t last forever.

6. Enhanced engagement

Virtual pop-up shops provide live product demonstrations in an immersive and interactive environment for your customers. With a virtual pop-up shop, your shoppers can see products in action and try them virtually, mimicking the personalized attention of an in-store visit.

7. Sustainability

A virtual pop-up shop reduces the need for physical product samples. It cuts down operational costs and lowers the environmental impact of sample production. This purpose is most valuable in industries where product development is both costly and wasteful.

Features of GlamAR’s virtual pop-up store

GlamAR’s virtual pop-up shop makes it easy for your brand to build and provide your clients with tools that enable your teams to create an immersive shopping experience.

1. Immersive 3D storefronts

GlamAR’s virtual pop-up shop features a 3D product model that brings your products to life. It accurately gives every detail of your product, from texture and color to shadows and reflections. These models are designed to replicate the real thing as closely as possible, helping your customers fully understand what they’re buying.

2. Augmented reality (AR) try-on

Our AR try-on features help your customers try on your products from the comfort of their own homes. With the use of their phone camera, they can see how your offerings look on them. This helps your customers to make informed choices and reduces the hesitation that often accompanies checkout.

3. Custom gamification features

Virtual pop-up shops have tools to help you create custom games and quests that turn shopping into an interactive experience. These gaming features enhance customer engagement with your product. With this, customers can play, explore, and compete, all while discovering your product.

4. Advanced analytics

This feature gives clear insights into how your customers interact with your product. You will be able to see what product most interests them. This insight can be used to refine your layout, optimize product placement, and improve user experience. 

5. Easy checkout

This allows your customers to preview, add items to their cart, and complete their purchases right within the virtual pop-up shop. There is no need to leave the page. This makes the path to purchase smoother and faster.

6. 3D product models

We help you to create lifelike 3D models of your products, ready for interactive display. We support multiple file formats and help with optimizing models for fast and smooth performance.

Types of virtual pop‑up shops

Virtual pop-up shops can take many forms, and each is designed to meet a specific business goal. Some of the types of virtual pop-up shops include:

1. Product launch events

This type of virtual pop-up shop is used for brands that want to introduce a new product or collection to the market. They host a virtual event to test how the product performs before a full-scale rollout. These events include live demos, virtual press briefings, and downloadable media kits. 

2. Seasonal stores

The seasonal, virtual pop-up shops are designed to capitalize on events such as Valentine’s Day, Black Friday, or Christmas. These festive periods don’t come around often, but when they do, they present an opportunity to improve sales and engage customers who are actively looking to shop. 

3. Brand collaborations

This is used when launching a new partnership with an influencer or another brand. It gives you the perfect opportunity to create massive buzz and offer exclusive co-branded products. It can provide more awareness and attract new customers.

4. Experimental retail

This is best used for testing a new line of business or product category. It allows you to gauge the interest of your customers and the performance of your product without long-term commitments. It’s a low-risk approach to marketing that helps brands make more informed decisions before scaling or investing further.

5. Flash sales 

It is used to create hype around a product that offers a limited-time deal. It’s all about making the launch feel urgent and special.

How to set up a pop‑up shop with GlamAR

Launching a virtual pop-up store with GlamAR is easy. Here is how to help you create a high-impact virtual pop-up shop.

Step 1: Define objectives

Begin by stating your primary objective for a virtual pop-up shop. Are you launching a new product, testing a collection, collecting customer data, or trying to increase brand awareness? This will guide every decision you make, from store design to promotional strategy. 

Step 2: Prepare your 3D digital product

Select the particular products you want. Focus on a well-edited selection rather than your entire inventory. Make sure each item is represented in 3D models or AR-ready assets. GlamAR can help you create a 3D model of your product if you don’t have any.

Step 3: Design the storefront

You can proceed to use GlamAR’s customization tools to design your virtual space. Our system allows you to switch designs until you find what matches your brand.

Step 4: Set up a promotion

Once your 3D models and virtual storefronts are ready, you can proceed to activities that create visibility and engagement. Launch a strong promotional campaign with email marketing, social media teasers, influencer shout-outs, and digital ads to drive traffic.

Step 5: Monitor progress

Once the above steps have been followed, you can then use our dashboard to track progress. The results you obtained from

‍