Promotions focused on kids going off to college (and their parents) are nothing new or unusual for retailers selling the wide range of products needed for dorm life and the classroom. What's new, at least for Target, is the college registry concept, now in beta test with the chain.
A piece on the retailer's A Bullseye View website explains, "Once reserved for the soon-to-be-married and soon-to-be-parents, college-bound students can now use Target's college registry to score everything from futons and flip flops to extra-long twin sheets and stylish storage solutions."
Family and friends will be able to go online and add products from Target directly to the student's registry. According to a piece on TheStreet website, Target will use iPads in stores to replace kiosks, traditionally used for registries. The retailer will also lend iPod Touches to customers so they can scan items and add them to their registries as they walk through stores.
Further, Target is promoting its Subscription Service, which enables consumers to have products delivered on a recurring basis, as "a modern day twist on the classic college care package," so kids can regularly receive items such toothpaste and laundry detergent.
