Overwhelming demand for the much-awaited Lilly Pulitzer collection on Target resulted in the latter's website going down temporarily.
On Sunday, April 19, the popular designer brand Lilly Pulitzer, synonymous with its floral patterns that are Palm Beach inspired, made its debut at Target and sold out within minutes of its launch, leaving many eager shoppers empty handed.
The Target website and app went down due to a heavy rush of buyers looking to take their pick of the 250 different items on offer from the "Palm Beach Perfect" product line. Lilly Pulitzer has a massive following on the East Coast.
The brand's Target debut on Sunday saw a surge of consumers as the retailer was selling the brand at cheaper rates than normal. The offering was one of Target's periodic "capsule collections," where the store sells a limited product line from a high-end designer.
On the morning of April 19, owing to the rush on its online store, Target was compelled to take its website offline for a good 15 minutes.
"When the traffic got heavier, we made the website inaccessible," Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman, told (subscription required) the WSJ. "We realize there is an extreme amount of excitement around this collaboration, and we apologize for any disappointment this may have caused our guests."
Initially, Target had intended to launch the Lilly Pulitzer product line sale around 4 a.m. EDT, but was forced to delay the launch by two hours owing to the surge in traffic.
In preparation for the Lilly Pulitzer launch, Target posted updates on its Twitter account.
For those still waiting for #LillyforTarget, we are continuing to work through our website experience. We will share updates as they come.
— Target (@Target) April 19, 2015
Such was the demand once the products were launched that Target saw a similar rush as it sees during Black Friday sales. Virtually the entire collection sold out by noon, in barely three hours. Even shoppers looking to purchase via the mobile app for Target were disappointed as the application was down. Target's brick-and-mortar stores saw long lines as customers queued up early in a bid to snag the Lilly Pulitzer products.
The #LillyforTarget sold out 8:05AM pic.twitter.com/YkBnOS1HIt
— Loren Boyce (@amzbls) April 19, 2015
However, many returned empty-handed as the resort wear collection sold out in a matter of minutes. Several irate customers took to Twitter to vent their annoyance.
C'mon @Target, sold out online of #LillyforTarget by 8am? If you're going to advertise like nuts, at least have enough stock. — Donna Leinwand Leger (@DonnaLeinwand) April 19, 2015
Unsurprisingly, the Lilly Pulitzer for Target bags and dresses have now popped up on eBay with over 24,000 listings.
While Target does not intend to replenish the 250-item line, there's hope yet for fans of the brand as the store has a 14-day return policy on the products. If you're lucky maybe someone will return that dress you'd been eying!
