Shopify’s Pop-up Shop Broke The Mould

Posted on April 22, 2014 by institute B

Shopify Inc. has become Canada’s first Internet start-up since the dot-com crash to reach a billion-dollar valuation, thanks to one of the largest venture financing in Canadian history. The Ottawa e-commerce software company enables small and medium-sized retailers to launch and manage online stores.

They recently held a four-day Retail Tour in Toronto and their pop-up shop effectively broke the mould of traditional pop ups.

There wasn’t an expectation to buy. It was geared explicitly to customers who have already shelled out for their subscriptions and launched their online stores. By offering workshops - including setting up your online store , DIY product photography workshop, along with one-on-one guru sessions (a concept borrowed from Apple’s Genius Bar), the company broke the common ‘pop up/buy stuff’ model.

The focus was teaching, not selling.

Part of Shopify’s success has been capitalizing on the fact that online and offline are inextricable. In fact, Shopify launched its POS system because a lot of their customers wanted to integrate their online and offline store.

Read the full article here.

Originally published on theglobeandmail.com
Written by Katherine Scarrow.

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