Target plans social Halloween

Target Corp. is reaching out directly where consumers digitally congregate for its new Halloween promotion.



Target has launched a six-part YouTube interactive video series, “The House on Hallow Hill,” for Halloween this year. The interactive videos will take viewers through a haunted house and give them options to visit different themed rooms, such as “The Ghoulish Graveyard.”



Consumers are able to directly shop for items featured in the themed rooms, with a 10% discount. Target is hoping to catch people as they are in a Halloween mood and capture spur-of-the-moment sales.



The retailer is capitalizing on the growing trend of social commerce, with major social platforms such as YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook providing retailers with the chance to sell merchandise directly to social media users with a click or tap inside the social platform.



In addition, Target will offer a mobile site called Treatster that lets consumers find the best local trick-or-treat spots. The discount giant created the site with 360i and used the Google Maps API to let parents tag favored locations as “treats.” Locations with a lot of votes will be marked on the site with a large pumpkin icon, the size directly related to its popularity.



Treatster does not offer Target direct sales opportunity like “The House on Hallow Hill,” but is a good CRM tool that provides customers with a valuable and fun social tool, creating positive brand image. Treatster launches Oct. 26, meaning some of the early goodwill may translate into Halloween candy sales.