Target has always been my retail destination of choice, but I don’t even have its app on my phone. That’s because if I need something quickly, I go to Amazon.
If I need something only available from Target and I need it fast, I’ll place my order on Uber Eats, even though it will often cost more than buying it in-store.
It’s a weakness for the retail giant, as it’s losing sales to Amazon and Walmart because those retailers offer next-day, and in some cases, same-day delivery.
That’s an area where Target has been quietly investing in an effort to bridge the gap with its rivals.
Target improves its delivery
While Target has never been top-of-mind for me when it comes to delivery, the chain has been expanding its reach.
“Over 60% of the U.S. population has access to quicker, easier shopping as Target expands next-day delivery of online orders to more markets. Guests in more than 50 top U.S. metro areas will be able to get their purchases delivered next day — in many cases for free. It’s yet another option among Target’s fulfillment offerings, which also includes guest-favorite same-day services and two-day shipping,” the chain shared in a press release.
Target owns Shipt, which offers free same-day delivery on orders over $35. It also offers a $99 annual membership that waives those limits.
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The chain has also expanded its selection of items available for delivery.
“Most items eligible for shipping at Target are eligible for next-day delivery. That includes hundreds of thousands of items — 85% of what we sell in Target stores,” the chain shared.
Next-day delivery is free for orders over $35 or with no minimum order amount if you’re a Target Circle 360 member or use your Target Circle Card for purchases.
“This is just one of the ways Target offers a convenient digital shopping experience. We already reach 80% of the U.S. population with same-day delivery — often within two or three hours — and 99% with two-day shipping. And our Order Pickup and Drive Up services are always free and available for guests on their timeline,” Target shared.
Target needs to fix delivery
Target has a big bridge to cross in order to catch up to its rivals.
Walmart already serves nearly the entire country with same-day service.
“We expanded our U.S. store-fulfilled delivery areas in Q4 FY25. We can now reach 93% of U.S. households with same-day delivery,” the company shared in its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release.
That number climbed to 95%, according to an April press release.
eMarketer analyst Rachel Wolff warned in April that Target faces a difficult path to catching up with Amazon and Walmart on delivery speed.
“Target’s delivery speed disadvantage underscores how difficult it is to catch up as Amazon and Walmart are zooming ahead. At this point, it’s unclear whether Target has the means — or even the vision — to close the gaps with its competitors.
“Much of the company’s turnaround strategy is rooted in returning to its pre-pandemic model, rather than reinventing the business for an age in which customer loyalty is more fragile and more spending is shifting online,” she wrote.
Target tries to catch up to Amazon and Walmart
RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino had a simple response when I asked him about Target investing in delivery.
“They need to! They’re the go to for that quick purchase and that feeling of getting it asap is the consumer standard,” he told TheStreet.
Target COO Lisa Roath talked about delivery during the chain’s second-quarter earnings call.
“We also saw meaningful gains in delivery speed. This past quarter, we fulfilled nearly 30% more same-day and next-day units than last year, and we will continue investing to get even faster,” she said.
Delivery, she noted, is part of a broader effort to improve customer service.
“When we combine the impact of our in-store transitions, assortment changes, tech enhancements and improvements in inventory reliability, it all adds up to an elevated experience that is being noticed by our guests,” she added.
Those efforts, Roath shared, have started to pay off.
“Overall satisfaction scores continue to improve across multiple measures of the guest experience, extending the momentum we shared with you last quarter and reinforcing that our continued investments in our teams, training and our team’s tireless execution are making a difference,” the COO said.
The chain has been addressing concerns that GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders raised in September ahead of Michael Fiddelke taking over as CEO.
“Visiting Target stores is less pleasurable and less fun than it used to be,” Saunders said in an email. “There is far too much friction, and the experience is sometimes unpleasant. That’s an issue as it lowers the probability of people making visits, reduces visit frequency, and weakens conversion and basket size when people are in stores,” he told Retail Dive.
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