Pop-Up Shop

DRIVING QUESTION:

Why do people buy stuff?

Project Overview:

In this project, students learned about the marketing mix (4P’s) and then applied it by planning and running an ACS merch store at the Auction in November. Students considered what PRODUCTS to sell, what PRICE to sell them at, how the PLACE should be set up, and how they would PROMOTE their store. Through planning and running their store, they learned and made decisions about market research, target audiences, pricing strategies, product value vs. cost, product display strategies, visual brand, and promotion strategies. Our driving question forced them to think about the motivation that customers would have to purchase our products (wants, needs, including the emotions involved in donating) and our role as marketers to encourage them to make the purchase (4Ps). Students then practiced their personal sales skills by working two-hour shifts at the ACS Auction.

“Some of the best parts of this project included seeing students (eventually) take ownership of their part of the project, come up with creative ideas, and come out of their shells to practice their sales skills on real customers. I loved that we were giving back to the community through the profit donation as well. For the next iteration of this project, there are likely a number of changes I would make. As this was the first time completing this project, there were a lot of unknowns on my end – how many products should we order, will we break even (we didn’t), if not, how can we still donate? Having gone through it once, I now know what to expect for next year and we can start with some knowledge already. This year’s class make-up also made it very difficult to work in two groups as was the plan. We ended up joining into one team about halfway through the project. As I only had nine students, I’ll also need to do some planning for if I have a larger class – should we start in multiple teams and then take the best ideas to create one store? Can I keep that many students busy with only one store? Many of the students commented that they didn’t have enough to do, or that the work they had was too hard. Because I had to work so much more managing over half of the class with significant learning and behavioural challenges, I wasn’t able to challenge the other students with more advanced tasks. I’ll need to spend some time thinking about the allocation of tasks and responsibilities because of this.”

Tanya Kieneker: ACS Teacher & Project Designer

Product/Presentation:

Merch store at ACS Auction

How has this engaged students in ACS’ mission and vision?

Engaging Minds: As this was a real-world project, with products they designed, a physical store, and a real event with real customers to sell to, students were challenged to do their best work. Given the difficult make-up of my class this year, engagement increased as we got closer to the actual Auction.

Nurturing Hearts: One of the more difficult aspects of this project was that students had to think outside of their own personal fashion tastes and consider what parents and younger children might want to purchase. We spent a lot of time discussing how marketers need to first be empathetic to their customers needs and wants in order to be successful.

Shaping God’s World: During our devotions, students were challenged to think about God’s perspective on money, how he wants us to spend it, and why he blesses some people with more. We watched a number of Tony Campolo videos—which really pushed their buttons. :) It was a lot harder for them to think about generosity when it touched on their own money. We then applied this to businesses and how they have a responsibility to make the world a better place (i.e. shape God’s world) with their profits.

How has this learning experience served or connected to our community?

The connection to the Auction was a direct connection to our community. Many students had never attending an Auction, so this was eye-opening for them. We had two Auction team members speak to us points during the project so we could understand more about how the finances worked and to give feedback on our ideas. At the actual Auction, they interacted with community members who visited the store and were able to support the Auction with the proceeds from their sales.

“I liked making something.”
“It was pretty cool to design stuff.”
“This was a good way to see real examples of the marketing strategies.”
“I enjoyed having a big group project.”
“I enjoyed the customer service part of the Auction because having to approach people helped me be less shy. It was also so much fun running a store.”

Student Reflection