Fashion and lifestyle platform The Iconic is ramping up its in-real-life activations in the lead up to Christmas with a pop-up in Melbourne.
On Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6, The Iconic will run two activations, starting with a takeover of the Italian pasticceria Brunetti Oro on Flinders Lane from 8am to midday. Here, visitors can get a free Brunetti cannoli and coffee, paired with luxury scents from Yves Saint Laurent, Prada and Armani.
Some customers will also get the chance to win 'golden ticket' prizes, hidden in the free gifts.
Then, from 1pm to 5pm, the fashion platform will run a pop-up space at Federation Square, which includes a branded claw machine, with prizes such as an Oroton handbag, a Casio watch and an In The Roundhouse $500 set to be won.
Haircare brand GHD will also be involved, handing out Christmas cherries and hair prizes, and will award a GHD Chronos Hair Straightener Gift Set worth $470. GHD will also be giving away claw clips, which customers can get personally engraved on the spot.
The pop-up will also include an Abrand charm station to customise charms for jeans. The Iconic will also give away a pair of jeans every hour between 1pm and 5pm.
This comes as The Iconic continues to drive a revenue lift in recent months following a challenging post-COVID period. In the third quarter of 2025, the fashion platform reported a 2.3 per cent lift in revenue to $145.7 million compared to the same period in 2024, with its net merchandise value up 4.9 per cent to $214.9 million.
The Iconic CMO Jo Robinson said its in-person activations must ladder directly into three core goals: driving brand awareness and engagement, acquiring new customers and more app downloads, and increasing participation of its newly launched loyalty program.
“True collaboration and integration with our brand partners is essential to making an activation like this a success,” Robinson said. “When we work with brands, we aim not only to showcase the breadth of choice and cross‑category representation – from beauty to fashion to sport – but to do so alongside partners we trust and can truly collaborate with.”
Speaking on the loyalty program in particular, Robinson said that while it has only been two months since launch, business performance and customer satisfaction is growing. In its launch month, app downloads hit record growth, up more than 25 per cent year on year, and a record number of monthly active app users.
“We are also attracting more new and reactivated customers, with these segments growing by more than 20 per cent versus last year,” Robinson said. “This uplift is largely driven by our in-house-built loyalty dashboard, which is best experienced via our app.”
In the five weeks since launch, more than 540,000 members have actively engaged with The Iconic Front Row. Robinson said the early adoption rate demonstrates strong relevance and appeal, particularly given the short time in market.
“Further, we have done a pulse check with almost 10,000 of our members so far and 93 per cent have rated their experience as a 4 or 5 out of 5.”
Looking ahead, The Iconic will continue to look for ways to show up in real life through activations.
“Our goal is to deliver at least one significant activation each quarter,” Robinson said. “We already have plans in motion to activate in Sydney early next year to reward our The Iconic Front Row members – watch this space.”