Target Open House, San Francisco

Target Corp. has opened an experimental space dedicated to showing how the Internet of Things (IoT) will transform consumers' homes — and lives — going forward. The 3,500-sq.-ft. space, in San Francisco's Metreon shopping center, is designed as a transparent, acrylic “house” with a series of vignettes, including a living room and a nursery, that demonstrate how multiple connected devices can work together to create real-life solutions.



Part retail space, part lab, and part meeting venue, Target Open House sells about 35 products, including a Nest Thermostat, a Sonos music player, and a Ring smart doorbell. But its main function is show consumers how the products are "connected." For example, instead of simply showing how a smart baby monitor functions, the Open House connects it to other, sometimes surprising, products like a lamp and even the coffee maker and speakers. Visitors can see how a baby’s stirring prompts soothing music on the sound system.



Target also plans to use the space to host regular meetings – from tech talks and meet-ups to product demos and product launches.