According to ConsumerAffairs.com, Target is poised to take the wraps off its new website, which has been two years in the making. With this move, they hope to boost sales and catch up to Amazon, Walmart and other giant online retail sites.
It probably galls Target that Walmart is currently the sixth-biggest Internet retailer with about $4.4 billion in sales, while Target is a distant 22nd, with $1.33 billion online sales last year.
Amazon.com is ranked No. 1, with nearly $13 billion last year. And oddly enough, it's Amazon that has been running Target's site and fillings its orders for the last to years, with a decade-old agreement between the two companies. So why is Target bringing its Web retailing in-house after a successful run with Amazon?
Basically, it hopes to make Target.com more like being at an actual Target store and less like being at any of a number of online sites, according to Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel, who says the new site will be easier to navigate, will have faster check and, he hopes, encourage more customer loyalty.
It's quite an undertaking. but next week, Target will be throwing the switch (um, quite a few switches, actually) to take over all those functions itself. And to top it off, when the transition is complete, Target will no longer be selling on Amazon.com.
1 comment:
Note to self (and anyone else in the same boat): this might be a good time to sign up for a Target.com account if you've never had one. Believe it or not, I do not; I always use my Amazon.com account for Target.com purchases. But this news prods me to establish a Target.com account, before the Amazon side goes away.
Post a Comment