News: Scots.Store Pop-Up at Edinburgh Design Week 2026 — What Shoppers Liked

News: Scots.Store Pop-Up at Edinburgh Design Week 2026  What Shoppers Liked

Edinburgh Design Week 2026 gave us an invaluable live-lab: three days of direct customer conversations, immediate product feedback, and a surge of sign-ups. This news-style recap highlights what worked and what well change next time.

Quick Snapshot

• Footfall (estimated): 4,700 visitors across three days.
• Top sellers: limited tartan throws, sporrans, and compact gift boxes.
• Newsletter signups from the event: 1,050 (with 21% conversion to purchase within 7 days).

Customer Feedback Themes

Three consistent threads emerged: buyers loved provenance labels, many asked about care and durability, and a surprising number requested personalised pattern options. When designing follow-ups, were reusing the notebook-to-newsletter workflow to convert interest into repeat purchases; practical guidance appears at From Notebook to Newsletter.

Exhibition & Event Lessons

Presentation matters. Our lighting partner helped us stabilise colour across devices  shoppers repeatedly praised how true colours looked in photos and in person. For a deeper technical primer on light and CRI that guided our setup, see The Science of Color Temperature and CRI.

Activations That Drove Signups

1. Live weaving demonstration with local mill.
2. Micro-workshops for pattern customisation (reserve with email).
3. Limited edition raffle for attendees who completed feedback forms.

Press & Coverage

Design Week curators highlighted a few stands in their wrap-up; we were fortunate to be mentioned alongside national textile exhibitions. For editorial inspiration and framing, see this exhibition coverage from a national museum review: 'Threads of Tomorrow' at the National Textile Museum.

What Well Change Next Time

• Introduce a clearer returns policy card on each table (customers asked for this).
• Bring more modular display furniture to speed teardown and adapt to weather.
• Improve staffing around peak hours  we found networking and staffing theory helpful when planning shifts; see The Psychology of Networking for Career Builders for thinking about effective people deployment and relationship-building on site.

"Design Week proved that live experiences amplify digital demand if youre ready operationally."

Next Steps for Retailers

If youre considering festival activations, plan for three months: prototype models, shortlist logistics partners, and prepare a two-piece content funnel: short social reels and a follow-up email series. For best practices on workshops and online course tie-ins to extend reach beyond the event, see Community Roundup: Top Workshops and Online Courses for 2026.

Overall, the week confirmed our belief that storytelling, authenticity, and in-person testing accelerate growth. Were already mapping a winter pop-up anchored on gift bundles and workshop tickets.