Disney Collaboration Release -- In Store Experience
Waiting for Opening
We arrived at the mall just before 9:30 AM, wondering if there would be a huge line for this release like there was for the first Disney Princesses launch. I didn’t want much, and I certainly didn’t want to fight crowds for the expensive accessories.
To our surprise -- no one was there. Just an occasional mall walker passing by while my husband and I spent 30 minutes chatting and singing along with the mall’s big ‘80s playlist. Not unpleasant at all.
By a minute before opening, another woman joined us, chatting about what she planned to pick up. Then the gate went up, and the three of us walked into the new floor set.
Store Floor Set & Displays
It looked great. I could tell how much work went into getting everything out, while still prepping extra accessories product in boxes for the rush of customers.
In my store, the display was set on the central octagon between Cashwrap and the Fall (2) tables. Marketing signage was placed at the mall entrance, with a “museum-style” setup on the lefthand side. But unless you looked directly inside, you might miss the big central display blocked by other stacked tables.
Online Shopping
The Bath & Body Works website has been glitchy for me -- pages not loading, account info disappearing, checkout issues. Hopefully by October, we’ll see improvements.
BOPIS
This morning, I chose to shop in-store since BOPIS wasn’t available until after 7:30. Usually with new collabs, there’s a rush of orders before opening, but not this time. Honestly, I didn’t mind seeing everything in person first.
The App
The webcast mentioned something new coming for the app in September—hopefully with better functionality.
Right now, mine is no bueno. It apologizes, tells me to “tap the heart,” and then does nothing. No search. No account info. No coupons. No rewards. Nada.
I didn’t delete and reload (thankfully, since others said it didn’t help). So here it sits, weeks behind, asking for patience. And anyone who knows me knows…in heaven I skipped the patience line and went straight for the sweets!
Coupons & Discounts
For months, my friend the App hasn’t loaded a single coupon. The company seems set on moving away from mailers—and I understand some of the reasoning. Delivery is unreliable, and I’ve even seen carts of them tossed at the post office.
But the bottom line is simple: without coupons or promos, I buy less. Today was no different. No discount. No promotions. I picked up a few gifts and a few things for myself, but not everything I might have if there was an incentive.
I get the CEO’s point about focusing on product benefits over discounts, and that’s fine. They’ll do what’s best for their bottom line, and I’ll shop accordingly.
Pricing
Every collab comes with a little extra cost—a dollar here, five there. It adds up. Today, I paid $9.99 each for two bottles of hand soap. Watered-down hand soap. Crazy, I know. I got what I wanted, but I don’t expect to repurchase from this collab. And that’s exactly what they hoped for -- customers shopping even without discounts.
Release Timing
Why a Wednesday release? If it were Wednesday Addams, maybe I’d get it (ha!). But otherwise, with schools back in session and most people at work, traffic was light.
Social media was saturated with ads -- beautifully shot and polished -- but the stores themselves had no window signage to pull in new customers. Why not build hype with mall teasers or countdown displays?
If the goal is to meet sales quotas, collabs need to drive people into stores. An online-only Loyalty first look a week early doesn’t help much when what stores need is foot traffic and impulse buys.
Quantity
There was plenty of product for this collab. And for the record, while the webcast mentioned customers felt “overwhelmed” by the assortment, I don’t. Options are what make fragrance shopping fun.
💙Photos from today's visit will be added in the morning.