Industry Eye: Prospecting - Target, Staples, Wizards of the Coast

The pop-up stores helped Target penetrate underserved markets while at the same time drum up holiday sales. And in the case of the New York store, it provided a glimpse into a future marketplace: Target plans to open its first Manhattan location this year.

"The pop-up store has been an overwhelmingly successful marketing strategy," said Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman, in a company release. "It's not uncommon at all for products that we feature in our pop-up stores to sell out entirely." —Joe Keenan