Target has launched Open House, a ‘connected home’ that gives shoppers in San Francisco the chance to experience internet of things devices.

The internet of things (IoT) is at the heart of US retailer Target’s Open House in San Francisco’s Metreon shopping centre. Its 3,500 sq ft space is intended to be “an ode to the IoT” and takes the form of a transparent acrylic house with furniture fashioned from the same material.

This would be interesting in itself on a ‘look-at-me level’, but what Target hopes to gain from the “part retail space, part lab” structure is knowledge (and potentially sales) about consumer reaction to the IoT.

An IoT baby monitor on show is wirelessly connected to items that might surprise, including lights, a coffee maker and the speakers on a sound system – which provide soothing music when a baby stirs.

Target’s chief creative officer, Todd Waterbury, says: “What we’re trying to do is humanise and personalise the benefits of these products. It’s really about relevant storytelling and creating a destination for engagement and discovery.”

An IoT wallet that links the ability to pay with a red warning light on your iWatch might also be an idea…

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