Blog: Asos opens stores. Kind of.

Well it’s finally happened; Asos has opened stores. Kind of. Before you get too excited retail-watchers, I must clarify a) they are just pop-ups which opened for a few days and b) they’re in Australia.

However, the etailer has gone down the increasingly well-trodden path of launching pop-up stores. Of course, it’s just a marketing ploy but boy does it work.

The stores were opened last week as part of the launch of the fashion etailer’s Australian spring 2012 collection, the first time Asos has launched a country-specific range.

More than just stores, the etailer has used the physical space to create an event where customers could not only see and touch its clothes, but enjoy live music, fashion shows and video projections to boot. 

This was combined with the etailer’s Scan to Shop app which allowed customers with smartphones to scan codes on products and buy instantaneously on Asos’ website.

Inevitably, the stores created the inevitable social media storm. 10,500 people registered to attend the three day event, Asos got 67,000 new fans on Facebook, in fact 2.68 million people were talking about the event on Facebook. 

But most importantly, sales on its Australian site were up 29% week-on-week. Job done. Now, when is it going to launch stores in the UK…