Blink and you will quite literally miss them. Pop-up stores have been growing in popularity over the past decade and there’s a certain quirkiness to them that creates a buzz that has a tendency to go viral.

Pop-up stores sound as though they might be made of paper, but they are often fully-functioning ‘bricks and mortar’ shops – they are just opened temporarily either for a marketing stunt, or for an event or special occasion.

South by Southwest (SXSW) technology festival is currently underway in Texas, and Apple opened a ‘pop-up’ store specifically for the launch of the iPad 2 in Austin.

SXSW revellers go crazy in the Apple pop-up store

The location was kept secret at first, which caused whispers and rumours to spread. But when the location was finally revealed, queues, signs, high-fives and dancing followed – that’s the power of Twitter. Typically Apple, and typically…brilliant.

Naomi Campbell, too, announced recently she was getting in on the ‘pop-up’ store revolution too, and will be launching a special charity ‘pop-up’ shop selling designer outfits – this will open for a week in April.

Pop-up stores make a lot of sense too, especially where empty stores are plentiful and high-traffic holiday seasons are nigh. Why should businesses commit to five-year leases when they can set-up shop in a single day, ride the commercial wave and then head elsewhere?

This all may be symptomatic of the high-speed/short attention-span times that we live in, but if this is a model that works, then why not? Pop-up stores are a product of necessity, where marketers, designers and innovators can club together to create something really special.