Lilly Pulitzer for Target: They Came, They Waited, They Went Home Mad

The New York Times:

Never underestimate the hunger of a barely thawed populace for a warm breeze of Palm Beach.

Last Sunday, they lined up in droves at Target stores across the country, or set alarms for predawn hours to wake up and shop Target.com. (Some New Yorkers lined up early at a Bryant Park pop-up on Thursday.)

The object of their collective obsession was the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection, an affordable line of brightly printed women’s wear, children’s wear, home goods and matching makeup.

…

Combining an artificial scarcity of products with a collect-them-all mentality can be a huge driver of sales, said Michael I. Norton, a professor at Harvard Business School who studies consumer psychology.

“It’s a sweet spot of insanity,” he said. “Of course, the whole thing is made up.”

Mr. Norton didn’t think the sellouts would have any negative impact on either company. “If anything,” he said, “it makes people more eager to get it the next time.”

Read the whole story: The New York Times