Target has unveiled the Target Open House, a 3,500-square-foot retail space in San Francisco dedicated to “smart home gadgets,” located at Metreon shopping center.
The space, constructed of transparent walls and furniture, is designed to show consumers how the products function and work together. More than 30 devices are featured in the Open House, including the August smart lock, Nest learning thermostat and Sonos wireless speakers.
Although Open House is a retail store, Target plans to use the space to inspire home entrepreneurs to collaborate with each other, conduct product demos and presentations for consumers. Target also will collect feedback from shoppers in the San Francisco space to plan strategies for offering the products in additional Target stores.
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The Open House was the brainchild of Target’s Enterprise Growth Initiative team, which also oversees the San Francisco Innovation lab launched in 2012.
“We think this area is in pretty early days,” said Eddie Baeb, Target’s PR head. “Target and other retailers are trying to figure out where this world is going and what should our strategy with connected devices be. This is a way for us to be actively learning and listening. We want to build relationships for our future growth strategy.”
