8/12/07- Kmart courting ethnic shoppers? Yes! With a big bang, starting next week.
And now Kmart is betting on multicultural dolls to help it take sales to a new level in the toys' section. It's clearing the way for a huge rollout of dolls spanning 4 dozen types of ethnic dolls. The rollout will be completed this next week. (Wal-Mart also says they have tripled the number of Hispanic dolls they sell in the past year.)
Ethnic dolls for kids aren't the same as when we were kids. Remember when an ethnic doll used to consist of a Ken doll with tinted skin & tinted dark hair? Not anymore. Ethnic dolls have gone to a new level: Bratz and Dora The Explorer dolls have helped create more sophisticated expectations for ethnic dolls.
But can the generic Kmart dolls take on name brands like Bratz or the ethnic Barbie collection? This is what buying experts will be watching in the next few months.
Hispanic buying power is expected to grow 48% in the next 3 years. 3 years! Incredible.
-La Marketer