After launching 12 new brands in the last 18 months for menswear, womenswear and home decor, Target is now upping its game to appeal the Gen Z with three new brands.
These Millennial-empowered brands include: Target’s first owned electronics brand, Heyday, which will offer a range of on-trend tech products such as quirky phone cases, headphones, and speakers; Original Use, a menswear brand for streetwear-inspired clothing and finally, Wild Fable, a casual clothing brand for teens and young women.
To explain their idea behind the three launches, Mark Tritton, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer of Target, said, “Target is on a journey to re-imagine our portfolio of owned and exclusive brands. We’re examining every aspect of our business to identify opportunities to better serve our guests. Through our research and in speaking with thousands of guests, we found that we could fill a white space in the market by bringing Gen Z and Millennial guests brands and experiences that are authentic to them, regardless of how they choose to shop. Wild Fable, Original Use and Heyday offer of-the-moment style and quality, two things that are important to these guests, as well as value.”
The expansion is followed by Target’s recent news of exiting its highest selling volume brands, Merona, Mossimo and the activewear brand C9 by Champion, with whom they had a contract since 2004.
Wild Fable aims to add value for money with its diverse size ranges, from 0 to 26W and prices under $40. Its collection envelopes a punk-rock flair with plaid crop tops and matching pants in several colour choices, pink miniskirts and complementing tops, colour block and sleeveless denim jackets with stylized fraying, rolled up jeans and floral print dresses in blue.
Original Use offers streetwear attires right from jeans with washes in versatile array of colours from iced blue to gray and black, to bomber jackets in camouflage print and simple button down shirts. Size ranges also cover Big and Tall variations and this merchandize is priced from $10 to $40.
This expansion to target the Gen Z was the result of a recent National Retail Federation study that discovered that these groups want brands that represent their individuality and that around 98% teens prefer shopping in brick and mortar stores.
A representative from Target said, “They see the shopping experience as a fun outing with friends or family. They appreciate the immediate feedback and like to explore without a commitment to buy. This audience also engages in online shopping for purchases and research such as size options and sharing with friends, which makes a seamless digital experience important.”
