Volvo wanted to attract a younger Chinese audience to its XC40 model, and naturally went down the experiential route. The brand—with the help of Pico—created a trio of popup stores in Chengdu, Shanghai and Shenzhen between December 2020 and January 2021. Each store was designed around lifestyle topics, with each offering a series of ‘chic and chill’ activities. Each popup store was located at a major shopping destination over a three-day period.
One highlight was the ‘travelling experience’ zone, where visitors could climb into the vehicle and view a moving vista of Nordic forests, snow-covered roads, highways and city streets on the LED walls from the car’s windows. It completed the Scandinavian look with a soft pink interior, said to “create a healing atmosphere”.
The stores also created a fashion nook where celebrity makeup artists offered makeovers, aromatherapy brand Darphin showcased its skincare experience and offered free gifts, and fitness experts stood by to offer workout plans.
The stores brought in over 3,000 participants and over 2,500 of them left their contact information at the stores.