Disney+ Subscribers Will Get Early Access to Select Merchandise in U.S. Test

Todd Spangler
·3 min read
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Disney wants to see how well it can convert binge-watchers into buyers.

In a test launching Nov. 1 — timed for the holiday-shopping season — Disney+ customers in the U.S. will get exclusive early access to certain Mouse House merchandise on the company’s shopDisney ecommerce site. The toys, collectibles, apparel and other products will include those from Star Wars and “The Mandalorian,” Marvel’s “Black Panther” and “Doctor Strange,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Frozen 2” and Pixar’s “Lightyear.”

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For a limited time, Disney+ subscribers can visit Disney’s shopDisney.com/DisneyPlusSpecialAccess to purchase items before they go on sale to the general public. In addition, Disney+ will include QR for featured products located on the details pages of select movies, series and shorts as well as on a new “Shop” tab on Disney+ primary profiles. By scanning the QR codes with their smartphones, customers can link directly to product pages on shopDisney.

“Special access to this curated collection of merchandise for the upcoming holiday season is the latest example of the many ways we experiment with how to improve the user experience on Disney+, which includes enhancing the benefits of being a subscriber,” said Alisa Bowen, who was named president of Disney+ in late September. “We’re excited to collaborate with shopDisney to explore how we can potentially better serve our audiences by expanding the ways they get to interact with the stories and characters they love on Disney+.”

The integration between Disney+ and shopDisney is separate from the company-wide membership program the company is developing. The still-in-the-planning stages Disney membership program would bring together perks and exclusive offers from across theme parks, cruises, Disney+, retail outlets and other touch points, with the company crunching data to create a personalized experience for each member. Disney+ “will become a platform for consumer engagement with the Walt Disney Company, not just a movie service platform,” CEO Bob Chapek said at Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia investment conference in September.

Some of the products available to Disney+ customers exclusively for a limited time include:

  • Black Panther Collectible Mask ($150)

  • Ahsoka Tano Special Edition Doll signed by Ashley Eckstein, voice of the character in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” ($50)

  • Captain Carter Vibranium Shield ($400)

  • The Mandalorian DarkSaber Legacy Set ($250)

  • Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi Battle of the Heroes Legacy Lightsaber Set ($375)

  • Ahsoka Tano Legacy Lightsaber Hilts signed by Eckstein ($400)

  • Doctor Strange Cloak ($100)

  • Scarlet Witch Ear Headband ($30)

  • Black Panther Wakanda Forever Artist Series Jacket ($80)

  • World of Wakanda Artist Series Puzzle ($25)

In addition, Disney+ subscribers will have exclusive access to shopDisney made-to-order merchandise, including new T-shirt and sweatshirt designs from “Frozen 2” and “Lightyear.”

The Disney+ ecommerce test comes before the service intros a cheaper new tier with ads — and raises the price of the no-ads version. On Dec. 8, the regular version of Disney+ (without ads) will increase from $7.99 to $10.99 per month, when the new Disney+ Basic with ads will be available for $7.99/month. Chapek conceded at the Goldman Sachs conference that Disney+’s original $6.99 price point was “pretty absurd.”

As of July 2, Disney+ had 152.1 million paid customers worldwide. The company reports earnings for the September 2022 quarter on Nov. 8 after the market closes.

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