by Graham Speak, Speak Consulting
Retail at Universal’s parks and resorts is much more than a quick souvenir at the exit. For many guests, shopping is a planned part of their experience. They allocate budget and time to spend in the hundreds of different stores on the property.
In past articles, I’ve shared why retail could be your secret weapon, tips to get the most out of your retail experience, and some great examples of retail across the UK market.
However, today, I’m turning my focus and exploring what Universal, one of the biggest players in attraction retail, does to make its offer exciting, engaging and a critical part of the guest experience.
Yes, it has huge budgets, incredible technology, and some of the world’s hottest IP. But the principles behind much of what it does are applicable in any circumstance, regardless of size, and whether you’re operating a zoo, museum or theme park.
Help guests personalise and become part of the experience
Often, the most talked-about retail items at the Universal parks are the wands that can activate effects throughout the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. They are great, allowing guests to collect them and become part of the experience (having a wand picked for you at Ollivanders is pretty cool to start!). They also get to take home a great souvenir.
There’s no denying that this specific example involves a global 3rd-party IP, significant infrastructure and tech investment. It’s also on a scale that is out of reach for many other attractions. Yet the principles used can be understood and leveraged by others. So, let’s have a look at a few different examples Universal employs to allow guests to become part of the experience.
See also: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Epic Universe
Disney parks have long sold Minnie Ears. There are hundreds of different designs, encouraging guests to pick their favourites to wear, collect, and show off as part of their visit.
In recent years, Universal has launched headbands. This is a similar principle, encouraging guests to ‘Show your character’ by picking their favourite Universal parks characters to proudly display on their head.
It’s a great way to get involved in the park experience, pick up a memorable souvenir, and drive collectability. Thoughtfully designed to attract guests of any age, they are almost impossible not to pick up.
If guests really want to become part of the experience, they can visit the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience at Universal’s Epic Universe. Themed as Dr Pretorius’ lab, converted into a parlour, guests can have award-winning special effects artists literally turn them into a monster!
Here, Universal retail helps you “release your inner creature for the world to see” – and buy accessories to complete the look!
Whilst guests experiencing Monster Makeup get to become part of the Darkmoor experience, there’s also the bonus of adding to the excitement and energy of the area for other park guests too, as they venture out sporting their new identities.
What are the ways you could offer merchandise or retail experiences to allow guests to personalise and interact with their experience? You want them to proudly show off and share their purchases, and take home memories. These will be helpfully kept alive through your merchandise, too!
Universal retail and the role of exclusive & limited-edition product
Creating attraction-exclusive and limited-edition items is a great way to drive excitement around merchandise ranges. In some cases, it even becomes the reason for a visit itself. Conversely, if guests know they can buy the same merchandise at their local store, why would they spend precious holiday time and budget in your retail?
With cost, risk and limited resources, it’s not generally practical to have fully exclusive ranges. It’s essential to understand which products or ranges across your offer would benefit from being exclusive, limited edition, or scarce.
Universal has developed lots of ranges, tapping into different themes and creating capsule collections. This strategy means guests think, “I have to get this today; it might not be here next time.” Butterbeer season was running on my latest visit. Will all these products still be available next time we go to the parks?
It’s also worth considering whether you could develop products or ranges for specific visitor groups. Universal has developed limited ranges designed with Annual Passholders in mind, for example.
Retail can also offer exclusive benefits to Passholders or distinct groups of guests. At times, Universal has stores with “Passholder only” access. This allows access to bespoke ranges at discounted prices. It’s a neat way to clear out some heavy inventory areas while offering a perceived perk!
Maximise IP (3rd party and your own)
Universal is well-known for its IP-driven experiences. Whether it’s Jurassic World, Minions, Dr Seuss, or older classics like Men in Black, well-known IP is a big part of the resort’s offer. When it comes to retail, it’s important to select and create merchandise that is relevant and differentiated for the park experience.
Think ‘why would a guest buy this here, from me, at this price?’
Different designs, integrating park IP, and thinking about generic ranges that make sense in your location are all critical considerations.
Many IPs also have huge, dedicated fan bases. Creating ranges that they can only get from you means they will often come prepared with a list of ‘must-buys’. Hero lines, communicated to fans of that IP, can themselves become a reason to visit.
It’s essential here to right-size each opportunity. Understand the fan audience versus your general visitor population; you don’t want to overstock on niche, super-fan-targeted products.
Universal doesn’t just rely on movie-driven, well-known IP. At Epic Universe, Moonship Chocolates and Celestial Sweets introduce young explorer Maya of the Skies and her co-pilot, Captain Cacao. Exploring the universe for treats, they bring the best back to Epic Universe for everyone to enjoy. Along with a range of Captain Cacao merchandise.
Merchandise can be a powerful way to expand your stories and characters, driving affinity, engagement, and post-visit memories. I’m sure we’ll see more of Captain Cacao in the future!
Universal shows how to leverage retail to preview and launch new attractions (and remember old)
In anticipation of Epic Universe opening in May 2025, Universal opened a huge preview centre at CityWalk in June 2024. At its heart, a huge model of the new park let guests know what to expect a year later at the Orlando resort.
But around the model, Universal started selling Epic Universe merchandise, almost a year before the new park opened. This was a great way to excite and start marketing their latest attraction. And it’s a principle that can be used by many other operators to drive awareness and build excitement for what’s coming.
Even before the new park has officially opened, thousands of guests are now proudly sporting Epic Universe-branded products. This is driving awareness of the new mega-park around the globe, while also letting them own their first piece of official merchandise.
While retail can be used to promote new attractions, it can also be used to celebrate the old. Tapping into nostalgia trends through retail is something Universal excels at. Whether focusing on retro logos, reminding people of their first trips with loved ones to the parks, or celebrating classic attractions like Jaws, Kong, or Back to the Future.
Celebrating nostalgia is an excellent opportunity for many attractions around the world.
Don’t forget the fundamentals
Retail fundamentals aren’t always easy to deliver. But they are critical to make sure retail is both enjoyed by guests and maximised commercially.
Make it easy (and exciting) for guests to find and see the product. Remove barriers to purchase, let them know the price and make it simple to buy. Use promotions to drive conversions and increase basket spend. Manage the supply chain to keep stock on hand and be available where guests want to make a purchase.
Guests might not notice these fundamentals, but without them, it’s impossible to create a winning retail offer.
Importantly, know your core audience segments and the role each product plays for guests. Every item should have a reason for being where it is.
This one sounds obvious, but is often forgotten. Merchandise can help guests capture and share their memories. When guests have had a great visit, they often look for something to buy to remember their experience.
The real trick as an attraction is to make what they buy sticky, shareable, and different, so that the purchase acts not just as a reminder of great times (and a prompt to return) but is also shared, displayed, or shown off. It acts as a great endorsement and marketing tool.
This could be as simple as branded photo frames, or shareable ride photo booklets (the new Ministry of Magic one is very impressive!). Guests will often take a thousand snaps while visiting. So, why not encourage them to print one out and display it for everyone to see?
Think about when you want guests to remember their experience with you. Christmas, birthdays and other holiday times are important and often positive moments in people’s lives.
Selling decorations and clothing for special times of year can help guests remember the incredible time they had with you at these special moments in their lives. (And having snow periodically pumped outside your festive shop in the Florida sun can be a particularly good way to lure guests inside!)
Identifying the principles from Universal that could work for your retail strategy
Retail is a massive business for Universal. It has lots of resources and tactics to ensure a commercially successful offer that adds real value for guests. This article isn’t even scratching the surface. But it aims to highlight some of the principles that could be considered in other settings, scales and contexts.
At the core of all these principles is an obsession with understanding guests, their needs, and the role retail can play in enhancing experiences, both during and after visits.
Retail can be valuable not just for the direct revenue it drives. It can also act as a much-anticipated experience that improves guest satisfaction and as a valuable marketing tool for your attraction.
