Its platform takes the pain out of finding and vetting space by simplifying the search and giving brands direct access to the decision-maker.
The premise is that retailers and malls have excess space they want to fill with new ideas from small retail brands. Itâs a good solution for both parties and helps keep retail fresh and local. It also alleviates the pressure on brands that are unsure they can afford a long-term lease.
This is especially helpful for retailers that are seasonal in nature, such as food trucks that rely on weather, fancy dress shops, or fireworks merchants. By creating a pop up, these retailers can avoid the risk of making a large investment and still bring in a lot of revenue during the busiest times of the year.
Sorta Pop is the latest product to try to make its name in the better-for-you soda set populated by brands like Olipop and Culture Pop. Featuring 25 calories or less per can and a ream of probiotics, the new product is aimed at both adults and kids, but its packaging and branding cadence clearly appeals to the former.
To create its own take on a traditional bubbly, the brand worked with beverage designer and chemist Chris Reeves to develop a formula that uses natural ingredients like aloe vera juice and kombucha tea extract and less processed sugars. The result is a soda that has a clean, crisp taste and a bubbly mouthfeel. Itâs available in a range of fruity flavors that include mango, strawberry, and blueberry.
Two food additives are key to the texture of boba: sodium alginate and calcium lactate or other calcium salts. Chefs use these chemicals in the lesser-known cooking discipline of molecular gastronomy to catalyze a process called spherification, which transforms liquids into delectable spheres with a thin skin that bursts when pressed. This is what gives boba its âpoppableâ mouthfeel. At home, you can achieve the same effect with a syringe or dropper and the liquid of your choice.
The poppable Pop has a flat design that makes it more svelte than the hulking Echo Dot and easier to slip onto pop-up shops a bookshelf or table. Itâs also a bit nicer looking than the hideous Echo Flex, Amazonâs previous attempt at a budget smart speaker. Itâs also got a few fun colors that feel like a nod to Taylor Swift fans (
Lavender
Bloom and Midnight Teal) and an escape from the puck-like Alexa devices that have plagued our rooms for far too long.
Walmart has partnered with Popable, which will allow its stores to host store-within-a-store concepts from local retail entrepreneurs on short-term leases. This partnership is a way for both Walmart and Popable to help small businesses that have struggled with the various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic bounce back, according to the company. The platformâs website will list which stores are participating and offer photos and site maps for each location