Now or Never! The Impact of Pop-Up Stores’ Ephemerality on Impulse Buying
(A2024-119679)

AUTHORS

Max Pisek, University of Goettingen; Henrietta Batinovic, University of Goettingen; Waldemar Toporowski, University of Goettingen

ABSTRACT

As consumers' expectations of the shopping experience in offline retail continue to grow, companies are increasingly turning to ephemeral experiential stores known as pop-up stores. While existing research has investigated the influence of pop-up stores on long-term goals, this study specifically focuses on the short-term corporate goal of generating sales through impulse purchases. Therefore, our research examines the effect of the ephemerality of pop-up stores on impulse buying intentions. Moreover, this study pays attention to the effect of hedonic shopping motivation, as pop-up stores appeal especially to hedonically motivated consumers. Our results reveal that the ephemerality of pop-up stores influences the perception of the products on offer as scarce, thereby positively impacting impulse buying intentions. Contrary to expectations, hedonic shopping motivation has a negative influence on the relationship between perceived product scarcity and impulse buying intentions.