Festival pop-ups set to make 1.2 billion pounds this summer

Britons are expected to spend a total of 1.2 billion pounds at pop-up stalls this summer, with the average festival-goer shelling out 67 pounds a day on fashion, food, merchandise and testing out experiences on-site.

According to new research by Barclays, 37 percent of festival-goers now favour shopping on-site compared to online or on the high street, while 31 percent consider events to be a better place to find new trends. Just under half (45 percent) also prefer the unusual product offering often found when browsing pop-ups.

The key factors encouraging attendees to splash their cash are a desire for unique products that can’t be found elsewhere (80 percent), heightened emotions (73 percent), and open-mindedness (19 percent). The impact that live entertainment has on mood and feelings is apparently key to boosting sales, with 73 percent of festival fans admitting it makes them more receptive to trying new products or brands.

And it seems companies have clocked on to the opportunity festivals can offer. Eight in ten businesses see festivals as fertile ground to trial ideas, with half testing products they have later rolled out commercially. Businesses present at live events expect their revenue to increase 12 percent over the next five years, the research found.

More sustainable focused fashion to appear in festival collections

Additionally, in the next two to three years, nine in ten (91 percent) merchants predict more sustainable and plant-based products will be available at festivals, as well as more fashion and homeware (52 percent).

Commenting on the findings in a statement, Daniel Mathieson, head of sponsorship at Barclaycard: “Pop-up commerce is thriving across the UK festival scene, as brands compete to provide the ultimate fan experience. With more ways to engage audiences alongside demand for a deeper connection to the products they try and buy, festivals are becoming a fertile ground for all kinds of businesses to grow.

“In recent years we’ve also seen festivals start to offer dedicated event spaces to brands while providing activations on-site has also become increasingly popular. As festival spending looks set to rise, my advice to UK businesses is to explore the sales and marketing opportunities the UK live entertainment scene presents, or risk losing out to more savvy competitors.”

Photo credit: Wendy Wei, Pexels