Marketing Students Develop Vintage Pop-Up Shop in Collaboration with Oxfam

Guided by Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Fashion Retailing and Consumer Behaviour, Dr Esther Pugh and in collaboration with Oxfam, 22 students were involved in planning, promoting and staffing the shopping event which attracted over 400 customers and helped raise £12,000 for Oxfam.

The students designed the pop-up concept and retail space, generated ideas for interactivity and promoted the event via social media. Those involved also showcased their learning by designing promotional posters and digital screens. Along with other volunteers from across the university, the students staffed the shop, replenished stock and served customers during the event.

During the pop-up shop, students also conducted research into sustainable shopping and consumer behaviour to use as part of their studies. Ethnographic data gathered by staff and students revealed interesting insights and will be incorporated into an academic paper to be released at a later date.

Dr Esther Pugh, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Fashion Retailing and Consumer Behaviour said: "I am thrilled at the success and positive reviews we have had following our Oxfam Pop-Up shop and I'd like to extend my thanks to all the staff, students, and locals who shopped, donated and/or volunteered.

"The visual merchandising module, taught to level 5 BA (Hons) Marketing and Marketing with Advertising Management students, was developed to explore the power of the retail environment to influence consumer psychology. It gives students the tools to design impactful retail experiences which resonate with contemporary shoppers.

"I was passionate about opening a real shop on campus for hands-on learning. This would put into practice the skills and theoretical knowledge in a real physical environment. The pop-up provided experiential, educational, community and wellbeing benefits, and we have evidence from the feedback! What a wonderful way to build sense of belonging!

"The students involved also developed transferable skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, innovation, organisation, project management, emotional intelligence and communication skills. This was due to the many stakeholders involved, and the numerous challenges in planning such an event. It opens students minds to what is possible if you take risks and go beyond what is expected."

Trinity Dinter, Marketing Management (BA) student at Leeds Beckett shared her experience working on the project: "I collaborated with others on my module to develop ideas based on visual merchandising theories that we had learnt to make the Oxfam pop-up successful. Alongside this, I promoted the pop-up via LinkedIn and volunteered on day two of the pop-up, keeping up standards and helping customers.

"The experience was extremely valuable as it allowed us to put theories into practice and see the first-hand impact of our ideas. We divided different aspects of the pop-up using different visual merchandising techniques, such as lighting, layout, and signage. Although we were constrained with budget, we were still able to create an amazing pop-up that conveyed sustainability values, an important aspect for both Oxfam and many of the customers. This experience has definitely prepared me for the future in both the application of theories and being able to evaluate the success of a real-life project."

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