Dive Brief:
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Nordstrom on Friday will unveil its latest iteration of Pop-In@Nordstrom pop-up shops, featuring more than 125 technology-themed products in the home, fitness, health, travel, accessories and pet care categories, the department store operator announced in a press release.
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The launch, called Pop-In@Nordstrom: GET’S WIRED, is the first time in the four-year history of the program that technology products will be included in the pop-up shops. The in-store design of this iteration will give shoppers the experience of stepping inside of a computer circuit board, Nordstrom said.
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Products to be featured in the new shops through Aug. 13 include: PowerVision Power Ray Underwater Robot drone, 3D Synergy Polaroid 3D printer, Bluetooth-enabled ChefSteps: Joule Sous Vide, Philips Viva Airfryer, Petcube Camera, Goal Zero Solar Panel, Hiku voice controlled Smart Kitchen, Navdy transparent dashboard GPS, fidget spinners and more. Product prices range from $9.99 to $1,888.
Dive Insight:
The program suits a retailer that has often been adventurous with unique promotions that pump up marketing in existing stores rather than focusing on over-building new locations to maintain a high profile in the market.
Shoppers interested in knowing what it would feel like to be inside a computer can thank the team of Olivia Kim, vice president of creative projects at Nordstrom, whose fashion-focused Space boutiques have been a winner for the department store operator.
The latest Pop-In concept goes a bit farther than those Space spaces though, as Pop-In@Nordstrom: Gets Wired is a more broadly-themed space highlighting technology products, many of which customers normally wouldn't find at Nordstrom. While previous Pop-In spaces have focused on one or a few big brands, like Warby Parker, Nike or VANS, this one is intended to be a broader sampling of products from a wider variety of brands.
Still, the tech focus will surprise some. Is Nordstrom going too far afield from its typical merchandise, and perhaps too close to the realm of a retailer like Best Buy? Not likely. "Surprise" is part of the point of these fleeting pop-up spaces and the beauty of it is that if customers aren't intrigued by the products, a new pop-up will soon take its place. The new displays are meant to create new energy inside Nordstrom stores and on its web site, and showing shoppers something they didn't expect to see at Nordstrom is one way of doing that.
