The scanner was much better than the Babies R’ Us one, with a color display and touchscreen! It seems weird that with the advanced smartphone technology that seems to be available for the cheap out there, some registry scanners can be so ancient. We noticed this as we were registering for our wedding as well. I wonder why more isn’t invested into making the registry process better over time? I know that with technology know, registries can be updated on the fly to reflect what is purchased, and you can check and edit it online, but more could be done to improve the actual process of registering.

The scanner we got was a little confusing, and the touchscreen reminded me of the touchscreens I’d see in a museum in the early 90′s, not accurate to the touch, and you had to touch the screen many times to make it respond.

I’m still in awe of all of the gear we need to get for this baby, and I was a little shocked to find the selection of strollers, swings, and other hardware to be so lacking. Granted, I know that they aren’t a baby store per se, but with the huge retail spaces they have, they can’t devote more space to it? It looked like there wasn’t much care put into the stocking of inventory or the display units, but I guess, why would they? In Minnesota, you have to register at Target for your wedding and baby stuff. Some people are unwilling or unable to get to a Babies ‘R’ Us before a baby shower, or to a Macy’s before the wedding, so Target presents a great convenient option, that is available to everyone.

The selection for wedding stuff (housewares, etc.) was great, but the baby stuff fell short, for the most part. That’s why we love Amazon, and would probably only register there if we could, the selection is unmatched, its open 24×7, and the ambience is always acceptable.

Registering

So much of the registering and research we’ve done is online, but we have actually gone to Babies R’ Us in Richfield to register. I must say I was sorely disappointed by retail experience there. The cavernous warehouse feel was contrasted by the outrageous prices! There is truly a disconnect there, with the terrible lighting and merchandise presentation, I was expecting rock-bottom prices, but this was not the case.

In addition, all of the things we registered for showed up with a quantity of two in our registry! Not what we wanted, and my wife had a tough time going through all of the things we registered for and fix them on the web registry site. And now, with the clunky web interface coupled with the scanner registering all items with a quantity of two, we really need to go through and make sure all of the items were added. Now, we’ve lost trust in them, and I feel they don’t value our time, since we spent 2-3 hours in their store, which should have been more enjoyable, but it sure wasn’t.

Its amazing that a store like this isn’t laser-focused on the registry experience. Isn’t that where most of the purchases and business comes from? I would think so, especially with the big-ticket (and presumably, high-margin) items, so I’m confused why they aren’t dedicated to having the best possible experience, perhaps their financial issues are to blame? Either way, hopefully our Target baby registry experience will go more smoothly.

The perfect time for marketing, so what’s wrong?

From attending events at the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association, speakers have remarked at how some consumer products companies don’t really have their eye on the ball in terms of targeting users that are having major life events like weddings and first children. I’m on Twitter, and posting things to Twitter and Facebook about the fact that we’re having a baby, and have yet to hear from any baby products manufacturers.

What gives?

Maybe this is just a sign on the new “pull” over the old “push” marketing? I’m not sure, but it seems odd we aren’t being courted more, in spite of all of the product research we are doing.