The smart home is here. You can't move in, but you can certainly take a walk through as Target debuts "Open House," a 3,500-square-foot acrylic concept store built to demonstrate how today's devices work in practice.
Open House is designed for immersion. Shoppers can walk through the store and see how different devices (everything demonstrated is for sale) are connected to one another. Parents in a connected home, who use a baby monitor to keep watch over their child, will find new connected versions can trigger other devices, such as playing soothing music on a sound system or turning the coffee pot on in the kitchen. (They are going to have to get up anyway.)
"Putting a house in the space, we felt, was the most relatable and welcoming way to introduce these products," said Todd Waterbury, Target's chief creative officer, in a statement. "What we're trying to do is humanize and personalize the benefits of these products, as well as show them working in concert. It's really about relevant storytelling and creating a destination for engagement and discovery."
Source: Target video
Target sees Open House, which was created by the company's "Enterprise Growth Initiatives" team, not only as a means to introduce and sell IoT devices to its customers, but also as a learning lab.
"From a strategic perspective, we see Internet of Things as a megatrend on the horizon. We know it's going to generate huge value," said Casey Carl, Target's chief strategy and innovation officer. "We're using Open House to test the trend, both for us and for guests."
Target is just the latest retailer to test an IoT concept. Last Month, Sears announced the opening of Connected Solutions, a 4,000-square-foot concept shop located inside a Sears store in San Bruno, CA, with IoT devices displayed by room. Sears currently operates two other 2,000-square-foot Connected Solutions shops in the Chicago area with plans to roll out the concept to hundreds of its stores across the U.S.
As a Fortune article points out, many others including Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe's and Staples are also trying to figure out the best way to cash in on the IoT opportunity.