Innovation in the Disney Stores!

Last week, Disney relaunched its Disney Store concept with the grand opening of their Montebello, California store, located near LA. What a makeover it is…some might say it's more of a “theme park” than a store. This high-tech attraction-focused “dream” store is the prototype for more than 20 newly designed Disney Store locations in the US and Europe that will open this year. The Montebello store has the first-ever Disney-Pixar CARS-branded RIDEMAKERZ experience in which kids of all ages can build toy cars, the initial line-up being Lighting McQueen, Mater and Sally! The Disney-Pixar CARS-branded RIDEMAKERZ attraction is a one-of-a-kind immersive car building and customizing experience.

The 4,800-plus square foot store's floor-to-ceiling remodel now features multimedia technology, interactive storytelling and Disney Store exclusive merchandise that bring Disney's most beloved characters to life for families in the local community. Naturally, the latest and greatest technology is integrated throughout the new store to create magical moments for guests.

And, there’s a "Pixie Dust Trail" that leads guests through the store and to major interactive elements as they enjoy a Disney-themed skyline and surrounding magical trees which are programmable with changing colors, images, and music set to an array of Disney themes. The new store is organized by franchise neighborhoods anchored by “hero fixtures” so it easy to seek out your favorite character or theme of interest.

The new store concept features an interactive kiosk with touch screen that leads the guests into an animated experience in shopping, viewing video clips, perusing articles and checking out in-store events. This technology also allows Disney to share news with customers via email, Facebook and Twitter.

And….how cool is it to have a theatre in a Disney Store? Guests can pick from a selection of pre-loaded content that will be updated regularly and can view a variety of Disney entertainment, sneak-peek previews, music videos and more. The theater will also be used for exciting in-store events including reading time and scavenger hunts.

As you may remember from reading The Disney Way, one of Disney’s great success stories (once upon a time!) was the launch of the Disney Stores. What began as theme-park shops where customers could buy Mickey Mouse shirts and other Disney memorabilia developed into a place where not only a wide array of merchandise was available, but also tickets to Disneyland and Walt Disney World could be purchased. In the mid 80s, former Disney employee Steve Burke (now COO of Comcast Cable Communications) convinced the management to open a mall-based chain of stores. For over a decade, Disney Stores maintained strong sales, but then the mounting cost of sales and operation and the loss of key executives who had driven the Disney Stores to success lead The Walt Disney Company to convert Disney Stores into a licensed operation.

But since Bob Iger assumed the leadership of Disney in 2005, many good things have happened such as taking buying back the Disney Stores. Bob has said that the Disney Stores goes beyond offering Disney merchandise...it’s all about reinforcing the company’s core businesses. Recently, Bob told the New York Times, “Our brand is so powerful because of our heritage. But you’ve got to innovate, and not just in terms of what is new today but what will be new far into the future.”

Legacy is one thing, but Innovation is the key to Disney and Pixar’s continued success!