Smartly, the retailer is quick to point out, is not a seasonal brand; it will be available year-round. And, the new brand is clearly more than just another affordable brand; Target has taken care to design the brand with the modern consumer in mind.
“Products will be sold individually or in small multi-packs,” explains the retailer’s media release, making Smartly items “perfect for guests living in small spaces and offering a lower-priced brand that doesn't require purchasing in bulk.”
The collection comes in conversational packaging, in a melon-y version of millennial pink and coordinating hues. Smartly brand hand soaps tell consumers about their scents, “Smells like Lavendar;” “Smells like Summertime;” “Smells like A Rain Shower;” “Smells like The Ocean;” etc., while an unscented bar soap “Smells like Nothing.”
Building brands for people
Target suggests that consumer demand drives new cross-category brand launches like this one. “Over the past few years, Target has launched more than 20 owned and exclusive brands across our multi-category assortment,” Mark Tritton, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Target, tells the press, noting that “the introduction of Smartly is another example of how we are listening to consumers and bringing them solutions to make their lives easier.”
“Smartly,” he says, “offers incredible value, looks great and most importantly, gets the job done. It broadens our assortment to give guests even more options to find the product that's right for them, regardless of their budget.”
The Smartly product portfolio is some 70 SKUs deep and includes personal care basics such as canned shaving foam, razors, liquid hand soaps, and bar soaps.
Discovering fragrances in store
At the start of 2018, Target debuted a new exclusive fragrance brand and expanded its selection of Pacifica products to include fragrance as well, as Cosmetics Design reported.
“Beauty at Target,” explained Christina Hennington, senior vice president of beauty and essentials, “is all about the joy of discovering products that work best for you, and we want to ensure this philosophy rings true in fragrances.”
“That’s why we are reinvigorating our fragrance collection by introducing Good Chemistry, an exclusive brand that is all about inspiring our guests to find unique scents that they love,” she said.
---
Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.
