Why Jacquemus 24h/24 is a great idea

Jacquemus has opened an all-pink pop-up store in Paris. On Friday, December 3, a hot pink floor-to-ceiling vending machine popped up at 16 rue de Richelieu that will remain open 24 hours a day, but only two days,  till December 5th midnight. The "experimental device," as the brand describes it, is the eye-catching strategy chosen to celebrate the new coloring of the Le Bambino Long bag. No queues, no salesgirls bothering you asking if you want something and looking at you with a glance of arrogance. The process is similar to that of an automated convenience store: once the credit card transaction has been completed, customers receive a locker number and a code to unlock the door which, when opened, will allow them to hold the it-bag in their hands, but also some items from the Pink 2 holiday capsule such as the Rond Carré candle made in collaboration with artist Ann Vincent, a bucket hat or a scarf.

If you think that vending machines are just for old snacks and watered-down coffee, you're wrong. Because more and more brands, especially beauty, are using this common on-demand experience as a marketing tool. The first to launch the trend was Sephora in 2009, placing its machines in airports that provided a convenient and quick service to travelers who needed to occupy time in long waits or had forgotten lipstick and blush at home. From that moment on, they became more and more widespread (during the pandemic they were also a way to ensure a shopping experience while respecting social distance), engaging brands such as UNIQLO, & Other Stories, Kylie Cosmetics, Huda Beauty, Essie, Benefit Cosmetics. The vending machines have also conquered other brands such as Moët & Chandon, Chanel or Tiffany & Co., which have always been linked to an idea of exclusivity and luxury that seems antithetical to the immediacy and "democratic" nature of this form of shopping.

As the New York Times pointed out eleven years ago, vending machines give a feeling of discovery and appeal that is often lacking in traditional retail. In addition, they also help bridge the gap between old-fashioned retail stores and online shopping, providing a "fun" twist with their eye-catching design and sense of "easyness" that is missing from both the old-fashioned in-store shopping experience and the aseptic online shopping one. Distributors also have a major economic advantage. They allow products to be sold in multiple locations at a lower cost than traditional retail stores, and besides those associated with restocking the vending machines, labor costs are virtually zero. 

As Simon Porte Jacquemus tells a recent Instagram story talking about this pop-up store format, "It's not just about buying: it's also an experience, a concept." A few words that prove that each of his marketing choices is a demonstration of how Jacquemus, as a true Instagram first brand, is a master of connecting to its community also through simple but super captivating initiatives ( which are a catalyst for likes!), such as the Les Fleurs store last year or the books that collect personal images taken by the designer with his iPhone. Jacquemus knows how to communicate its aesthetic to its followers/customers perfectly, always resulting funny, authentic and, at the same time, "disruptive". Simon Porte Jacquemus' creature is one of the few fashion companies able to embody and give voice to the zeitgeist of the 2020s and Gen Z, trying to "freshen up" the concept of luxury also with projects such as the machines that satisfy the Y2K and IG addicted aesthetics, as well as the "see now-buy now" desire of contemporary consumers.

It remains to be seen whether this new mode of purchase can be successfully applied to other luxury brands, with a structure and orientation different from that of Jacquemus. The boutique experience is the current retail model which is part of the value of buying a luxury item itself, with the immersion of the customer in the brand imaginary through the construction of a setting where a certain atmosphere dominates, an elegant and carefully designed service to make you feel the intrinsic value of the item purchased.