The tour kicked off in Washington, DC at the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 7, and will now take in key US cities and regions throughout April. From April 21-22, the truck will make a stop at Beautycon at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. In October, it will pop up at The Grove in Los Angeles, California.
Consumer-first strategy
Throughout the tour, L’Occitane will complement the pop-up experience with digital tools including e-mail marketing and social media, communicating with consumers on the scheduled stops and sharing information on the truck's offering.
"Our in-store shopping experience has evolved dramatically in recent years. From our Flatiron experiential community flagship boutique in New York to the new sunshine retail concept that was launched in 2017 […], we are addressing customers’ varying shopping needs in a variety of unique and unexpected ways," says Paul Blackburn vice president of concept design, construction and merchandising in North America.
"Continuing this trend, and inspired by the food-truck revolution, we are driving our customer-first strategy even further by launching the #LOcciTruck. The L'Occi Truck will allow us to bring the best of our magical brand directly to our customers, in a modern and agile way.”
French-inspired design
In a nod to the brand’s French roots, the truck design has been modelled on the vintage Citroën H Van often used by small-town French farmers. Clad in L'Occitane's signature yellow hue, two window-like openings will allow consumers to view an internal shelving display filled with a range of L’Occitane products.
At each stop, beauty associates will be on hand to guide consumers through a product range tailored to each region.
Traveling pop-up trend
Explaining the rationale behind the pop up launch, Caroline Le Roch, the company’s commercial chief officer in North America, says: “Entering a boutique can often be intimidating to a consumer; this dynamic concept is truly more approachable while still an extension of the multi-sensory and hospitable customer experience from our boutiques.
“We are excited to bring Provence to our customers, including areas we may not have a brick-and-mortar presence," she adds.
The launch follows a similar initiative from Sephora, which last year piloted its own travelling retail experience. The Sephora pop-up truck travelled to college campuses across North America, bringing makeup tips and samples to the likes of Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and St Josephs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.