Target is bringing the magic to its stores with a recent Disney collaboration.
Twenty-five stores nationwide have already opened in-store Disney shops, with many more expected to launch by this time next year. We looked at five locations in different states to see what we could learn from foot traffic and audience data.
All five stores show overall growth from the beginning of the year, with a clear peak during the Back-to-School season, followed by a drop this fall. But when looking two years back, there hasn’t been a unique growth trend in any of the stores when it comes to foot traffic. The stores are for the most part on par with the nationwide trend (below), with high peaks during the holiday season, followed by large dips and incremental growth.
Notably, the Philadelphia store’s holiday peaks are much milder than the others’, with this year’s Back-to-School season largely out-performing the December holiday, at 73.9% growth over baseline.
Audience data does not indicate any particular connection among these stores either. For example, the Virginia location boasts a high-earning audience, with 44.2% of visitors earning $125,000-$200,000 Yearly.
Meanwhile, the Chicago store is a bit more evenly distributed between the $40,000 and $75,000 range.
And this is a very important factor. If Target were testing out the process in similarly oriented stores, then it would likely indicate a targeted campaign to boost revenues in a certain segment, Yet, the diversity here points to the consideration of a massive roll-out should the impact be positive. And with Toys R Us also hopping on the Target train, Target is certainly going to give these brands a much-needed boost.
So much may be told by the actual roll-outs of both relationships. If the expansion is limited, much of the strategy could likely be dictated by the in-store success of different locations and the attempt to replicate that magic.
Gymboree Makes a Comeback
And in more great news for kids, The Children’s Place announced a relaunch of the Gymboree brand in 2020.
Looking at the past two years at The Children’s Place, there are clear peaks during the holiday season as well as the mid-summer season. 2018 shows an unsteady trend, characterized by seasonal peaks and dips in between. This year looks promising, with a steady growth starting in January through the summer months.
The Children Place’s ability to leverage the Gymboree brand and the shop-in-shop layout will certainly be key to continuing its foot traffic growth in 2020.
Will Gymboree and Toys-R-Us make a comeback with the help of their new owners? And how will the Target-Disney store expansion pan out? Check back in at Placer.ai to stay updated.
