Target Wonderland, New York

Target has unleashed its holiday spirit with Wonderland, a 16,000 square foot pop-up theme park spectacular in New York City’s Meatpacking District.

Featuring bold twists and turns of red and white, the decor seamlessly merges a seasonal theme with Target’s iconic branding – and its wacky fonts and off-kilter signage add a touch of Roald Dahl and a smattering of Seuss.

If that doesn’t signal a kid-friendly context, then the ten jumbo attractions on offer certainly do.

Ranging from a massive Etch-a-Sketch to an enormous pirate ship, lovingly crafted from LEGO, this pop-up concept store is a supersized family experience.

Target’s seasonal Wonderland store artfully mixes theme park with multichannel technology as an experiment that will cleverly inform future store design.

And it’s a strategic one, too.

While kids are marvelling at a massive Christmas tree built from hundreds of toy Hulk hands, or having Frozen-themed temporary tattoos applied, their parents are primed for a shopping spree thanks to the lanyards and RFID keys handed out at the door.

These allow parents to place orders with a simple swipe as they move through the different stations – with the company able to track purchasing trends alongside the ways in which customers move through and explore the space.

The upshot?

Target can design the most successful features into future brick-and-mortar store designs, and bridge the gap between in-store and online sales with a digital shopping experience that takes place on the store floor rather than from behind a screen.

It’s a brand experience, testing ground and superbly orchestrated seasonal event with viral potential – all in one.