In the past few years, retailers such as the Gap, Target, Ford, Wal-Mart, and Nike have been using pop-up stores to generate buzz and excitement around a new product launch. The stores are a great way to test out the new products on consumers and generate buzz. They are less costly than television ads, which can run in the millions of dollars to produce and broadcast, and the stores generate similar buzz and publicity for new brands by opening for a limited time only (usually a weekend).

But what happens when you are launching a pop up store and not selling anything? Such is the case with magazine Teen Vogue, who is launching a “Haute Spot”, in the Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey this holiday season.  This “Haute Spot” will offer free snacks, informal modeling, a perfume bar, a makeup station, charging stations for cell phones and iPods, a gift-wrapping counter and racks of clothes. And, to the delight of retailers, they can direct customers to the appropriate stores in the mall where they can buy the products featured.

By not selling products, Teen Vogue aims to encourage shopping in the mall and to boost mall traffic during this tough season for retailers. By giving teenagers a space to hang out, it connects the consumer to their brand in a longer lasting way. The magazine is also using the store to promote itself: for instance, editors will visit and offer fashion and makeup advice, and sell magazine adverts to stores at the Short Hills Mall.

Teen Vogue Editor Laura McEwan believes that “Instead of doing something that has very large numbers, we think high-quality communication to a very select number has been very successful for us”.

Keep your eyes peeled in the future, as Teen Vogue plans to open more pop-ups around prom season and next August for back-to-school!

The Haute Spot will be open Nov. 28 through Dec. 26. at the Short Hills Mall.