The Body Shop has opened its first pop-up shop in Canada, located in Toronto’s ritzy Yorkville neighbourhood. The retailer is using the space to test new installations and activations, as well as promote gifts for the holidays.
IPads display videos that talk about The Body Shop’s Bio Bridges program, which connects rainforests that have been deforested to help endangered animals find a mate.
An installation for Body Butter products tells stories about The Body Shop’s community trade partners, such as where shea nuts are sourced. Starting Nov. 7, customers can personalize their Body Butter purchases with a saying on the label: “I’m Wild About [Name].” Also leading into the holidays, a create-your-own-station will be set up.
“We took it as an opportunity to test out different installations and customer activations to reinforce our positioning in the market, especially coming into the busiest season—holiday,” said Jennifer Spencer, VP of marketing & corporate responsibility for The Body Shop Canada. “We really wanted to elevate the products and the storytelling around them.”
If successful, The Body Shop will introduce the installations at other stores. “As a brand, we have so many stories to tell and we have such a great values program that’s tied to the products we sell,” said Spencer. “This is a great opportunity to see what engages customers and essentially roll those out into other stores into the New Year.”
The Body Shop promoted the store opening with a giveaway: the first 100 customers were rewarded with a $25 gift card. It’s also sending emails to its existing customer base and geo-targeted digital advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
“There are lot of people who are aware of The Body Shop who may not have shopped with us in the last several months, or who may not have shopped with us at all before,” said Spencer. The pop-up shop will allow the retailer to engage current and new customers, “and really help push the values of The Body Shop,” she adds.
The pop-up shop will be open until Jan. 31.
