From Mockup to Movement: The Making of the Gondola
[00:00:03] The “Gandhi” display—a nickname we gave it for short—was hanging in the mock store when Kristy was reviewing it with us. She came up with the brilliant idea to ask, “Can this thing move?” My immediate answer was, “Absolutely, yes. Of course, it can move; it’s not a problem at all.” My first thought was that we could totally do that, so I dug through my box of electronic goodies to see if I already had the necessary parts. Like a mad scientist genius, I went through a couple of iterations to get it working with fishing line and pulleys.
See how we transformed Target for the holidays
Prototyping the Target Holiday Display
[00:00:36] While it started as a rough idea, he actually built the first prototype of how the unit would function, building out the board and drawing the schematics. We had to create something that was aesthetically pleasing, motorized, and capable of handling the weight. That is what we eventually showed Target. Everyone else at Target assumed it would only be in one or two stores, but we took it as a challenge to roll it out to all of them.
Global Sourcing and Logistics
[00:01:02] It was economically challenging. We had a price point we needed to hit for the customer, which required sourcing from a Chinese manufacturer—an avenue we hadn’t used before. Dealing with the “bad and the ugly” is always the fun part of the job. While I was in China at the Canton Fair, I happened to pass by a PCB vendor and knew we might need something like them for the future. At the time, we didn’t even know if they could provide what we needed. We had to provide a lot of information very quickly so they had time to develop, ramp up for production, and still hit our target ship date.
The Art of Breaking Things to Make Them Better
[00:01:44] The development process was full of trial and error; the fishing line broke, the hanging mechanisms broke, and “Gandhi” even fell from the ceiling. However, it was performing as expected. We started experimenting with a belt driving system and had some “fun times” figuring out the hook for the gondola. Each time it broke, we iteratively made changes and tested them.
Designing for the End User
[00:02:05] At the same time, we had to maintain a delicate balance because we knew store employees had to install this. It couldn’t be an “erector set” that required 30 minutes of building. I imagined it from the perspective of someone opening the box; if I received a bag of parts for a lawnmower without instructions, it would be a nightmare. To simplify, we used repeated parts and cheaper materials. The only major change from the original design was removing about a pound of internal weight.
More Than Just a Target Holiday Display
[00:02:46] There wasn’t much time, so I had several units hanging up and running constantly. I just had to hit them around a few times to see where they would fail. It is great to talk about developing this three-dimensional, moving gondola with art that curves around it, but we were simultaneously developing six or seven other programs. These included paper snowflakes—nearly 100 per store—an entire roofline structure, and a scent diffuser putting out a cocoa aroma. We also added lighted elements to the hot cocoa signage and candy canes on the gable ends.
Bringing Holiday Magic to the Aisles
[00:03:30] The finished product is so striking that you can see it from the opposite end of the store—and smell it, too. Many of our competitors can work with corrugated materials or fabric, but to pull off a moving gondola with elevated lighting, scents, and freight logistics shows our true capabilities. It’s gorgeous, and putting something like this in the marketplace really catches people’s eyes.
I particularly love thinking about the kids who go to Target and see these gondolas moving with little mice on them. It’s amazing how we took cardboard and turned it into something that makes people happy over the holidays. A lot of little kids loved it, pointing and “oohing and aahing.” We even had three different people from our company come in specifically to look at the set with their wives, kids, and parents. It was cool to see how involved everyone was. For a client like Target, I get to see the work in my own day-to-day life. It’s super exciting to be hanging out with someone and be able to say, “Hey, that right there? We did that.”
Have a complex retail challenge? We have the solution. If you have a “can this thing move?” moment, we have the team to make it happen. Reach out to discuss your project requirements, and let’s get to work on your next innovation.