Target tests curbside pickup... again

Target isn’t new to the online retail game, but they seem to perpetually be playing catchup to rivals like Walmart and Amazon. Case in point: Target is once again testing a curbside pickup program one year after shutting down a similar pilot program.

According to Consumerist, Target stores in the Twin Cities area are testing a new curbside pickup service with employees. As with similar pickup services at other retailers, customers place an order through Target’s app or website. They then drive to the store, park in a dedicated space next to the store and an employee will deliver items to the waiting vehicle.

For now, the service is only open to employees and available at the company’s northeast Minneapolis, Roseville, and Maple Grove stores. A rep for Target says the company hopes to make the service “customer facing” and available at more stores in the coming months.

If you're wondering how this program differs from Target’s previously scrapped pickup option: the idea is the same but the logistics are different. Previously, Target worked with a startup company called Curbside (ironic, yes?) to run a pilot program that eventually reached 121 stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. The previous iteration of the program used Curbside’s app, whereas this new pilot uses Target's own app and website. While the test program with Curbside ended in June 2016, Target notes that the company learned from the experience, and saw it as a good opportunity to build its own service.

This new curbside pickup program is just the latest in Target’s plan to improve convenience for customers while coordinating its online and physical store presence. Target appears to be stepping up its efforts to beat — or at least even the playing field — with rivals Amazon and Walmart.