This year, Target adopted a unique approach to creating its college dorm room collection. Instead of telling students what to buy for back-to-school, the retailer taped its own interns to find out what kinds of products students really want to buy.
For Target's Room Essentials 2016 College collection, the retailer turned to the 90 undergrad interns working in its Minneapolis headquarters. The students were invited to share designs and ideas which would be used for the new dorm room collection. Target also hosted mini focus groups to ask the interns about their opinions on different college supplies. Many of these ideas were used in the new collection to create hip products such as decorative gold foil pillows, paint-splattered bedding and motivational wall hangings.
By asking real students what kinds of products they want to see on store shelves, Target demonstrates it commitment to meeting the needs of college-aged shoppers.
Student-Designed Dorm Collections
Target's New Dorm Room Collection Was Designed by Its Interns
Trend Themes
1. Student-designed Products - Opportunity to involve target customers in the design process, leading to products that better meet their needs.
2. Crowdsourced Design - Harnessing the creativity and ideas of a large group of people to create innovative and relevant products.
3. Personalized Dorm Room Decor - Meeting the demand for unique and customizable products that allow students to express their individuality in their living spaces.
Industry Implications
1. Retail - Retailers can adopt a similar approach to involve customers in the design process and create products that resonate with their target audience.
2. Interior Design - Interior designers can tap into the trend of student-designed products to offer customized solutions for dorm rooms.
3. Crowdsourcing - Platforms that facilitate crowdsourced design can benefit from the growing demand for personalized and unique products in various industries.