I was being swept in a wave of humanity out of Toronto’s Union Station the other day and into a rotunda area that splits the hordes in two directions into the massive underground walkway system below the business district. Right at the fork in the PATH system was this virtual store being run by Walmart and Mattel.
The idea – like some others that have been tried – is a harried Mom or Dad stops and looks over a selection of toys for Christmas gifts, finds an idea toy, and scans a QR code to buy and have the item shipped, free of charge, from Walmart.
The store has two walls of three-dimensional toy images and will be “open” until Dec. 5.
Its interesting, like the others done by Tesco in S. Korea and by some copycats. I have my doubts about the take-up rates because of the dynamics of where it is located. There are MASSES of people, but they are all moving to work or to the commuter trains. This is not a place with ANY dwell time.
On the execution side, having a security guard (for the walkways system, not this program), just kinda tells people, “Do not come near! Do not engage.”
The slippery when wet pylon is also a nice touch.