Polo installed an ice lounge that’s kept at 18 degrees in Bloomingdale’s New York flagship to encourage customers to test out the brand’s outerwear, according to WWD.
The Polar Ice Lounge, open from now until December 15, follows last year’s ice-skating rink the brand installed in the men’s department of Bloomingdale’s NY for the holiday season.
Inside the lounge, created from more than 100 large ice blocks and 3,000 pounds of ice, customers are invited to try on one of the brand’s coats, including Polo’s battery-operated parkas. Customers can enjoy a cup of hot apple cider while capturing all the Instagramable moments inside.
The lounge is a tie-in to Polo’s holiday advertising campaign, “Out of This World,” which draws inspiration from the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing. A coffee sampling and virtual reality space experience are two immersive activations the retailer also has planned.
Bloomingdale’s group vice president of integrated marketing, Kevin Harter, said that the department store has a strong outerwear business with Polo, and that at last year’s skating rink activation, they sold over 30,000 cups of hot chocolate.
Strong demand for Ralph Lauren Corp’s Polo shirts and tweed jackets in China helped the retailer grow its shares by nearly 14 percent. The company opened more stores in China and has partnered with local ecommerce platforms such as Alibaba’s Tmall and WeChat to enhance online sales.
Stronger sales with core products indicate the brand is no longer one only dads are wearing. Appealing to a younger generation involved Polo launching a pop culture-based collection celebrating the 25th anniversary of Friends.
