4 ms·

> The locations will also have more experiences, like play areas This is how you compete with Amazon.

quux 7y ago
Honest question that I don't know the answer to: This is the approach Disney took with their stores, how did that work out for them?
- maneesh 7y ago
  According to this article it's going well! https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2014/09/10/magical-makeover-drives-disney-store-revenue-to-760-million-in-the-uk/#6fbc4a454d1f https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2014/09/10/magical-makeov...
  - kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
    It's just a ploy to reduce inventory and fill the empty space so it doesn't look like a wasteland.
    - PhasmaFelis 7y ago
      I mean, you have to do something besides just sell products if you're gonna compete with Amazon. That doesn't mean it's "just a ploy."
- groovybits 7y ago
  I don't frequent Disney stores, but the 2 or 3 I've been to did not have play areas. Is this a common thing?
- sytelus 7y ago
  Entertaining kids is HUGE business. People are having kids in late stage and often one or two while feeling extremely obligated to provide best of the best. Most parents are spending lot more time with kids in weekends than last generation. They constantly need new activities, camps, things to go to. I think having innovative play areas in store for small fee is brilliant idea. I have a hunch that most of the retail businesses will transition to online in next 10-20 years and all the current retail spaces, especially the malls, would be repurposed into entertainment+place to gather such as restaurants, games, private cinema booths, party places, making spaces, painting places etc. The brick-and-mortar places that stores goods for selling would be fairly odd concept in one or two generations.
  - duderific 7y ago
    > They constantly need new activities, camps, things to go to. I think having innovative play areas in store for small fee is brilliant idea. Great points. As a parent of two small kids, though, I'd much prefer that the entertainment NOT be attached to a Toys-R-Us, as that would more or less obligate me to buy a toy every time I went (good luck getting out of a TRU with a little kid without buying something.) The local mall already has a few paint/build/create spots for little kids, so I can see the transition you mention happening already.
    - jtchang 7y ago
      And exactly why it makes it a good business move. That kid will do more "marketing" than any ad they buy. And surely lead to more conversions.
arkitaip 7y ago
I WANT TO BELIEVE but I seriously doubt that retail's obsession with 'experiences"' is going to cut it; it didn't work 10 years ago and it won't work now (other than a place to dump your kids for an hour while you go shop groceries or whatever). Retail thinks that better service and experiences is enough but when it comes down to it, parents want to buy toys in a toy store and they want to buy them as cheaply as possible. Physical stores also keep ignoring that Amazon actually offers really good service with cheap (or free shipping) and fast shipping, and a great return policy.
- pmorici 7y ago
  Best Buy made a come back by offering price matching.
  - sdegutis 7y ago
    They've always done price matching, that's how they got their name when they came out in the 90s. But they still don't have a great selection and in my experience it's rarely worth it to shop there compared to Amazon for all the reasons stated above.
    - pmorici 7y ago
      They originally wouldn't match online retailers only brick and mortar competitors as I understand it. As part of the turnaround, implemented in 2012 they started matching Amazon and a few select online retailers. [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/business/best-buy-amazon.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/business/best-buy-amazon....
      - learc83 7y ago
        Worked there in college. You are correct--they definitely did not match Amazon prices when I worked there. They wouldn't even match their own online prices at first.
  - leetcrew 7y ago

quux 7y ago

Honest question that I don't know the answer to: This is the approach Disney took with their stores, how did that work out for them?

maneesh 7y ago
According to this article it's going well! https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2014/09/10/magical-makeover-drives-disney-store-revenue-to-760-million-in-the-uk/#6fbc4a454d1f https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2014/09/10/magical-makeov...
- kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
  It's just a ploy to reduce inventory and fill the empty space so it doesn't look like a wasteland.
  - PhasmaFelis 7y ago
    I mean, you have to do something besides just sell products if you're gonna compete with Amazon. That doesn't mean it's "just a ploy."
groovybits 7y ago
I don't frequent Disney stores, but the 2 or 3 I've been to did not have play areas. Is this a common thing?
sytelus 7y ago
Entertaining kids is HUGE business. People are having kids in late stage and often one or two while feeling extremely obligated to provide best of the best. Most parents are spending lot more time with kids in weekends than last generation. They constantly need new activities, camps, things to go to. I think having innovative play areas in store for small fee is brilliant idea. I have a hunch that most of the retail businesses will transition to online in next 10-20 years and all the current retail spaces, especially the malls, would be repurposed into entertainment+place to gather such as restaurants, games, private cinema booths, party places, making spaces, painting places etc. The brick-and-mortar places that stores goods for selling would be fairly odd concept in one or two generations.
- duderific 7y ago
  > They constantly need new activities, camps, things to go to. I think having innovative play areas in store for small fee is brilliant idea. Great points. As a parent of two small kids, though, I'd much prefer that the entertainment NOT be attached to a Toys-R-Us, as that would more or less obligate me to buy a toy every time I went (good luck getting out of a TRU with a little kid without buying something.) The local mall already has a few paint/build/create spots for little kids, so I can see the transition you mention happening already.
  - jtchang 7y ago
    And exactly why it makes it a good business move. That kid will do more "marketing" than any ad they buy. And surely lead to more conversions.

arkitaip 7y ago

I WANT TO BELIEVE but I seriously doubt that retail's obsession with 'experiences"' is going to cut it; it didn't work 10 years ago and it won't work now (other than a place to dump your kids for an hour while you go shop groceries or whatever). Retail thinks that better service and experiences is enough but when it comes down to it, parents want to buy toys in a toy store and they want to buy them as cheaply as possible. Physical stores also keep ignoring that Amazon actually offers really good service with cheap (or free shipping) and fast shipping, and a great return policy.

pmorici 7y ago
Best Buy made a come back by offering price matching.
- sdegutis 7y ago
  They've always done price matching, that's how they got their name when they came out in the 90s. But they still don't have a great selection and in my experience it's rarely worth it to shop there compared to Amazon for all the reasons stated above.
  - pmorici 7y ago
    They originally wouldn't match online retailers only brick and mortar competitors as I understand it. As part of the turnaround, implemented in 2012 they started matching Amazon and a few select online retailers. [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/business/best-buy-amazon.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/business/best-buy-amazon....
    - learc83 7y ago
      Worked there in college. You are correct--they definitely did not match Amazon prices when I worked there. They wouldn't even match their own online prices at first.
- leetcrew 7y ago