Abstract

Purpose: As brands increasingly adopt temporary retail spaces to create immersive consumer experiences, pop-up stores have become a key channel for engaging customers. This study examines how experiential factors in pop-up stores influence consumers’ emotional responses and behavioral intentions by integrating Schmitt’s experiential marketing theory with the PAD emotional response model. It also addresses a research gap by applying both frameworks in the context of short-term brand spaces, which have been underexplored in existing literature. Research Design, Data, and Methodology: A survey was conducted with 120 consumers who had visited a pop-up store. The study tested 16 hypotheses using structural equation modeling to analyze the effects of five experiential dimensions—sense, feel, think, act, and relate—on emotional responses (pleasure and arousal), and the subsequent impact of these emotions on behavioral outcomes, including visit intention, information-sharing intention, and impulse buying. Results: Sensory and relational experiences significantly enhanced pleasure, while sensory, cognitive, and relational experiences increased arousal. Pleasure positively influenced visit intention and information-sharing intention. Arousal affected impulse buying. Conclusions: The findings highlight the central role of emotional engagement in temporary retail spaces. This study contributes to experiential marketing research by bridging two theoretical frameworks and offers insights for marketers aiming to design emotionally compelling pop-up store environments.