Barbie Games Off in China

Mattel, the company that produces Barbie games, did a bold thing in China. It opened a huge flagship store for Barbie games in the country targeting young professional women. The store has Barbie fashion dolls, of course, but there are fashion lines by Barbie and make up lines as well. There is even a Barbie bar in the store selling special adult beverages in a special Barbie line.

Unfortunately, the store isn’t doing very well just yet. Industry analysts have commented that the store has trouble on two counts. One, the Barbie games and fashion targeted at the young professional women is too sexy – not the cutesy little outfits these women prefer. Another failing is the location of the store. By having a separate storefront, Barbie games aren’t getting much foot traffic. It would have been far better for the Barbie games to be sold in a giant flagship store inside a mall where more Chinese women and girls would walk past and be enticed to comes inside. Barbie games have a strong following in China, but Mattel has yet to capitalize on that.