NEW YORK (AP) – It was hardly a Lilly-lollapalooza.
Target’s much anticipated exclusive, limited-time-only launch of the Marimekko Collection on Sunday did not spark the frenzied shopping of some of its past collections. On the bright side, the discounter didn’t have to deal with crashing websites and disappointed customers.
Target’s sale of the Finnish designer collection of mostly beach accessories and dinnerware, which range from $7.99 for sunscreen to $499.99 for a paddleboard, hit stores and online Sunday. But as of Sunday afternoon, just under 50 of the 200 styles had sold out online.
The response at the chain’s 1,800 stores was equally as muted.
That’s a big difference from last year’s launch of Target’s partnership with Lilly Pulitzer, where demand was so heavy that Target took its website offline for 20 minutes, leading to angry chatter on social media. Ultimately, the items sold out online within a few hours and at many of the stores within a half hour.