Toys“R”Us is reopening a select number of US stores this holiday season with a new strategy: give kids and parents highly engaging retail experiences. The brand, which announced it was closing down its US stores for good in 2018, has partnered with software-driven retailer b8ta to implement playground-like activations around product discovery and interactive brand stations in smaller-format spaces. A partnership with b8ta will allow the once defunct brand to measure how offline experiences translate into online sales. The first toy stores to reopen are at The Galleria in Houston, Texas and Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey.
“We launched b8ta to change the fundamental infrastructure of retail, from the business model to the customer experience. b8ta is proud to bring Toys“R”Us stores back to the U.S. alongside our partner, Tru Kids, and with our Retail as a Service platform as its engine. The new Toys“R”Us stores will be the most progressive and advanced stores in its category in the world, and we hope to surprise and delight kids for generations to come,” said Vibhu Norby, CEO of b8ta.
Changes at Toys“R”Us Spain & Portugal are also happening as it announced it has partnered with commerce cloud software Openbravo, enabling the brand to reduce information technology (IT) costs and shift to omnichannel retail. Utilizing Openbravo’s omnichannel technology will also improve customer experience through a more functional website design. With the launch of Spain & Portugal’s new e-commerce site comes services that streamline the online shopping experience such as Click & Collect and home delivery of toys in stock in three hours.
Toys“R”Us Spain & Portugal stores have also adopted the new motto, “Forbidden NOT to touch!” reflecting the brand’s move toward more visual spaces that encourage kids to test toys on display. Additionally, the stores will introduce services such as meet and greets with YouTubers, in-store birthday celebrations and the launch of the brand’s YouTube channel. The company’s Spain & Portugal stores include a network of 53 locations in Spain and 11 in Portugal.
“Now that this technology has been implemented in all our stores, we are impressed with the capacity of the Openbravo POS, which has allowed us to greatly simplify our processes. This has been key for enabling us to make all our stores operational in just four months,” said Paulo Sousa Marquez, CEO of Toys”R”Us Iberia.
