How pop-ups are shaping Latin America: creative districts, new audiences and experiential luxury

Buenos Aires – In Latin America, the pop-up phenomenon has established itself as a cultural driver capable of transforming neighbourhoods, rewriting luxury strategies and redefining how brands engage with their audiences. Far from being mere marketing exercises, these ephemeral spaces function as territories where commerce, identity and aspiration intertwine. They are driven by consumers eager to experiment and by cities undergoing a process of creative revitalisation.

In Europe, the format is often linked to specific campaigns or strategic launches. However, in countries like Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, pop-ups have evolved into settings that foster a sense of belonging. They are meeting points where design, local aesthetics and sensory experiences build community in a matter of days. Their rise anticipates a key trend for global retail, including the Spanish market. Luxury is no longer sustained solely by materials or heritage but by a brand's ability to create unique moments that emotionally connect with its audience.

In a context where shopping has shifted from a mere transaction to an experience, ephemeral stores encapsulate culture, aesthetics and community. Beyond their symbolism, data supports their economic weight. According to Capital One Shopping Research 2025, the pop-up retail industry now exceeds 80 billion dollars annually, proving that transience can also be highly profitable.

Key pop-up market data

• Temporary retail spaces generate 80 billion dollars annually and the market will exceed 95 billion dollars in 2025.
• 80 percent of retailers who have opened a pop-up consider it successful.
• 58 percent plan to repeat the experience with a new temporary store.
• 44 percent of pop-up shops require an initial investment of less than 5,000 dollars.
• The average monthly rent for a commercial space is 24.53 dollars per square foot, and for a space in a shopping centre it is 34.39 dollars per square foot.
• The typical duration of a pop-up is between three and 14 days.

“The most successful pop-ups combine intelligent planning, creative design and a deep understanding of what people truly want. When that happens, they cease to be temporary spaces and become extraordinary brand experiences: places where emotion becomes strategy,” explains Natalia Sánchez, business development director at another, a strategic communications agency with a strong presence in Latin America, in a statement.

Pop-up retail's rise and changing consumer habits

The expansion of this format accompanies a global transformation: consumers are seeking memorable experiences over discounts or product accumulation. According to the 'Global Ecommerce Statistics: Trends to Guide Your Store in 2025' report, today's shoppers prioritise authenticity and storytelling, elements that ephemeral stores uniquely enhance.

This need for emotional connection explains why pop-ups have become a key tool for contemporary luxury. The limited, the sensory and the unrepeatable become more valuable than the product itself. Thus, the temporary ceases to be a financial risk and becomes a cultural asset.

Why luxury found its new form of exclusivity in pop-ups

According to another, for years, exclusivity was associated with materials, techniques or rarity. Today, time is what defines exclusivity. Scarcity lies in the experience: in its duration and the impossibility of repeating it.

Luxury brands have adopted this format as a way to continue fuelling desire without oversaturating their presence. Eight out of ten companies that have invested in a pop-up consider it a success, and more than half plan to repeat the model. In these concepts, the sensory displaces the ostentatious; the experience displaces possession. The real privilege is not owning an object, but having been there.

World's most addictive shopping experiences

The magnetism of a pop-up store activates the same psychological mechanisms as luxury: exclusivity, surprise and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Its brevity generates adrenaline and encourages visitors to queue, share content and turn the visit into a ritual.

Inside the space, the staging appeals to all the senses. Light, sound, scents, textures and even tastes produce an immediate sense of well-being that the visitor associates with the brand. Thus, the relationship ceases to be rational and becomes physical and emotional. In an environment dominated by screens, real experience gains value. Pop-ups offer something that digital cannot replicate: memory, connection and community. They are, in essence, the emotional equivalent of a concert: intense, brief and hard to forget.

City as a stage: Latin American neighbourhoods that enhance the narrative

The rise of these ephemeral spaces has also transformed the urban map. In Latin America, neighbourhoods such as Polanco, Roma and Condesa in Mexico City; Palermo in Buenos Aires; Vitacura in Santiago; Miraflores in Lima; La Cabrera in Bogotá; and the Casco Antiguo in Panama City have established themselves as natural settings for these experiences.

The choice of location is part of the message. A restored mansion, a historic gallery or a hidden garden become extensions of the brand's narrative. The surroundings amplify the emotion and transform the visit into a memory.

As Sánchez explains: “Pop-ups are a social phenomenon because they represent exactly what consumers are looking for today: to feel part of something. It is not just about buying, but about belonging, about living an experience that combines community, aesthetics and emotion. In an era where digital connects us but rarely unites us, these spaces restore the most human sense of consumption: sharing.”

An ephemeral format that is here to stay

In a world of short attention spans, pop-ups have become a strategic resource for starting conversations, activating communities and reinforcing brand identity. Their power lies not in how long they last, but in the impact they leave behind.

Far from being a trend, this format has established itself as one of the most powerful tools for building culture around consumption. The luxury of the future, it seems, will not be what we can own forever, but what we experience just once.

Some successful examples in the region

• Louis Vuitton – 'Time Capsule' in Mexico City: the pop-up exhibition was held from May 29 to June 16, 2019, at the El Palacio de Hierro department store (Polanco).
• In 2024, there was a Havaianas pop-up in collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana at the Iguatemi Shopping Centre in São Paulo.
• Rabanne had its first pop-up in São Paulo in July 2023. The event ran for a month at the NK (Natalie Klein) store in the Iguatemi Shopping Centre.

• Pop-up linked to São Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) for several editions.
• Buenos Aires Fashion Week (BAFWEEK) also had experiences over several editions.
• Espacio Vogue Miami (with a focus on Latin American brands).
• Fashion spaces during Art Basel Miami Beach.