An Inside Look At Target's New over&back Tableware Collection
Private label growth has been a focal point for Target in recent years as the retailer has continued to boost the presence of its own brands in food & beverage, health & beauty, and home products.
In home, this strategy has also included exclusive collections such as Magnolia Home, and the marriage of its Pillowfort home brand with unique designs from Disney and Marvel.
Target’s most recent effort to give its guests unique products is the debut of an exclusive tabletop collection developed with tableware supplier over&back. The seasonal assortment now in stores and available online is positioned as an everyday dining selection that includes modern textures, artisanal finishes, and trendy colors.
The collection’s glassware assortment is now available at about 1,500 Target locations and merchandised on endcaps, with dinnerware available at about 600 stores. The full assortment is also offered on Target.com.
Store Brands spoke with members of over&back’s team to get an inside look at the work done by the tableware supplier and retailer to develop the exclusive assortment. They included Laura Fisher, vice president of Product Development and Merchandising; Sabine Costa, social media & marketing manager; and Rachel Dietrich, senior director of E-Commerce and Marketing.
STORE BRANDS: How did the collaboration between Target and over&back develop?
LAURA FISHER: We had worked with Target in the past, but this new collection came about from a (New York) Tabletop Show. Working with our sales reps who handle Target, we set up a meeting in our showroom and walked them through our new products, and they were able to see how the items could be merchandised to their customers. It was a perfect moment where they were looking for an opportunity to infuse some new trends and offer quality products at great prices. Speed to market, obviously, is incredibly important, and we’re able to quickly get products to Target. We work with an incredibly talented merchant at Target, and Rachel worked with her and met at a local coffee shop in Minneapolis, where she shared our initial samples.
RACHEL DIETRICH: When we started working with Target, they wanted a full assortment on Target.com. We worked on that initially and then turned to developing products for the end cap program. We met every couple of weeks to show samples and get feedback.
SB: Given Target’s efforts to expand its private label assortment in recent years, can you speak to Target’s decision to use the over&back brand for this exclusive collection?
LF: I think it’s a bit safer for them to use our brand in the event that the collection doesn’t work. The collection features some fashion-forward colors, which are a little risky, but in a good way. So, we’re about to help them mitigate some of that risk if something doesn’t sell. (Target) has done an amazing job with their Threshold brand, which offers an everyday look for their customer. And they are smart with their product development and know they need to test products. Some of the colors (in the over&back line) may have been a little bold, but we’re able to be there and work with them to see what works. Target kind of started the whole collab thing and has always been at the forefront of ‘we know what our customer loves,’ so let’s do something unique for them.
SB: With the new assortment, will it have a long shelf life, or is there some seasonality to it?
RD: The assortment was set to be on shelf for a period of about 10 weeks, but all of our items are crafted to endure. Some of the colors are more seasonal than others, but some are also more neutral and can be carried year-round.
SB: We hear a lot of talk about retail-vendor partnerships. It sounds as if this collection was the result of a true partnership between over&back and Target.
LF: One hundred percent. I've been in this business for 30 years, and this particular merchant is so talented, and she has a great point of view. I think that's where we were able to help her execute what she thought she wanted. We then were able to validate her thoughts with the things we were seeing as well. It was just one of those synergies that happen.
SB: What was the motivation behind doing an end cap program?
LF: It’s a way for Target to capture the customer’s attention. The product has to be new and different, and something they may not normally have for the customers. I think the buyer knew that it was in her best interest to do newness in trend and color and put the product on an end cap.
SB: How is the new assortment being marketed to consumers?
SABINE COSTA: We’re using our social media channels to encourage customers to go into Target and to discover the end cap for themselves. We also have influencers who are going into Target, creating videos of them discovering the end cap and sharing it with their community online. Influencers are the perfect tool for this as they portray the entire story of going into Target, seeing the collection for themselves, and let people know exactly what to expect when they're going into stores. We’re also seeing a lot of content through Target fan page accounts. These are people who are constantly in Target looking for what’s new.
