Target Aims to Improve Dorm Interior Design with Smartphone App

target college styler appUS retailer Target is looking to take advantage of the large number of students readying to head off to university with its new Made For U College Styler app, which connects with users social networks and analyses their personality to pull together a customised shopping list of back-to-college items.

The tool, created in collaboration with design studio Umbra and technology startup Betterific, taps into users Instagram and Facebook to analyse their style choices, before asking a number of questions aimed at assessing their needs and preferences.

The app then assigns users a profile based on their choices, and provides them with a shopping list chosen from over 400 products and split into essential and luxury items. The app even enables users to share their choices with roommates in order to prevent any style clashes, and has a checklist functionality that prevents doubling up on items.

Target has embraced mobile in unique ways before, with mobile games at Christmas aimed at driving footfall in stores, and in-store navigation for shoppers on Black Friday that integrated shopping lists to guide consumers straight to the products they wanted.