It's not just fun and games — this pop-up Target store in NYC could help shape the retailer's future (TGT)

Kate Taylor

Target is giving shoppers in New York City a glimpse of what the future of holiday shopping might look like, with a new pop-up location in Manhattan. 

Called "Target Wonderland," the store aims to provide a wacky place for families to visit and shop. But it's also a testing ground for concepts that could become commonplace in Target stores. 

For example, shoppers use radio-frequency identification, or RFID, keys to pick items instead of shopping carts. The retailer can also learn from how consumers move through the store.

As more consumers move towards online shopping, Target needs to find ways to continue to attract customers to brick-and-mortar locations. One way is to provide an experience for customers, like on-site games, activities, and spectacles like a huge LEGO pirate ship – all of which are happening at the pop-up Target.

The RFID, meanwhile, could be a way to combine digital and in-store sales.

Business Insider headed to Target Wonderland in downtown Manhattan to check it out. Here's what we found.  

When you walk into the store, the first thing you see is a giant Rube Goldberg machine in the entry area. This is the section where customers pick up their RFID-enabled keys and get some quick instructions on how they work.

To get from the entry area to the actual store customers walk through a very Willy Wonka-esque hallway — an aesthetic that describes the pop up as a whole pretty well.

Once inside, customers are surrounded by larger-than-life stations usually next to the toys that served as inspiration for each stop. For example, kids can get glitter tattoos inside the "Frozen"-inspired castle, while parents can purchase a playset version of the castle using their RFID keys.