The Impact of Pop-up Store Experience on Behavioral Outcomes and Quality of Life: Focusing on the Mediating Role of the Third Place Perception*

Purpose: This study empirically examines how consumer experiences within pop-up stores influence perceptions of and behaviors toward host retailers (e.g., shopping malls, department stores) and their surrounding spatial environments. Moving beyond the traditional focus on brand-oriented performance, this research conceptualizes the pop-up store as a strategic medium for spatial experience transformation. Specifically, it explores how multidimensional experiences shape consumers’ perception of a retail space as a “Third Place” and how this perception enhances behavioral outcomes and quality of life. Research design, data, and methodology: Data were collected through an online survey of 400 consumers aged 20–50 residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, all of whom had visited a pop-up store within the past year. A stratified sampling method ensured demographic representativeness. To strengthen measurement validity, respondents were instructed to recall one specific pop-up store visit and to evaluate the overall host retail space based on that experience. Four experience dimensions—educational, escapist, entertainment, and esthetic—were measured, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the relationships among pop-up experiences, “Third Place” perception, behavioral outcomes, and quality of life. Results: Findings show that higher-order cognitive and affective experiences, particularly educational and escapist dimensions, significantly enhance consumers’ perception of the retail environment as a “Third Place.” In contrast, entertainment and esthetic experiences had no significant effect on spatial re-perception, suggesting that sensory enjoyment alone is insufficient to trigger cognitive transformation. The perception of a “Third Place” was found to exert a strong positive influence on both behavioral outcomes (e.g., dwell time, revisit intentions) and quality of life. Mediation analysis further confirmed that this perception fully or partially mediates the relationship between pop-up experiences and subsequent behavioral and psychological outcomes. Conclusions: Theoretically, this study integrates consumer experience theory and the “Third Place” framework, providing a structural explanation of how experiential stimuli reshape spatial meaning and promote well-being. Practically, it suggests that retailers should shift the focus of performance evaluation from short-term event results to the experiential transformation of space. By prioritizing educational and escapist storytelling rather than purely visual or entertainment-driven displays, host retailers can reposition pop-up stores as strategic instruments that enhance the social and emotional role of commercial environments and contribute to consumers’ everyday well-being.