Target's big holiday pop-up promotes toys and tests tech

Target has already shown that it's aiming for big sales during the holiday season with its multi-platform, multi-property "Holiday Odyssey" advertising campaign. Further proof of its holiday season investment is the chain's "retail spectacle" named Target Wonderland.

Target Wonderland is a 16,000-square-foot pop-up next to Chelsea Market in Manhattan. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the pop-up features 10 interactive holiday-themed displays, each with a digital element and each tied to a toy that the chain is selling for the holidays. The Wonderland is open to the public for two weeks.

There is a great deal of crossover between the "Holiday Odyssey" campaign and what is reportedly available to interact with at the pop-up. There is, for instance, a ball-pit moat around a life-sized replica of the Lego pirate ship featured in Target's second holiday commercial. Visitors can also test drive a smartphone app-controlled version of the BB-8 droid seen in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, along with drones and miniature cars on a racetrack.

A promotional video, which shows the Wonderland's opening, features two kids interviewing Neil Patrick-Harris, narrator of Target's "Holiday Odyssey" interactive e-book. The e-book is the centerpiece of Target's holiday campaign.

The chain intends to use the Wonderland as a testing ground for tech innovations to see if they have the potential to be rolled out in stores nationwide.

One of the more interesting innovations in play at the Wonderland is the use of RFID technology.

The Tribune article reports that those who enter the Wonderland are given lanyards with RFID chips attached to them to wear around their necks. A visitor can then scan the code at each kiosk to queue an item for purchase. Upon arriving at checkout at the end of the experience, the visitor pays for the items and is given them by a Santa arm that emerges from a chimney. (The article does not specify if the Santa arm is real or animatronic.)

This is not the retailer's first experiment with RFID.

In an interview on the Target website in May, 2015, Keri Jones, executive vice president of global supply chain and operations at Target, discussed implementing RFID technology in Target stores. She described the use of RFID-enabled "smart tags" on items to help manage inventory. The technology gives Target and its customers a clearer picture of what is in-stock throughout stores and online.

Target expects to have that particular RFID feature rolled out in all store in 2016.

• Target opens a holiday-themed playground to sell toys and test ideas in New York - Minneapolis Star Tribune (tiered sub.)
• Welcome to Target Wonderland: Part Toy Store, Part Holiday Playground—All Fun - YouTube
• Will digital promotions make Target's Christmas? - RetailWire
• RFID: New Tag Technology Will Elevate Target's Guest Experience - Target