Target Corp. announced June 24 that it’s partnering with ecommerce platform Shopify to offer merchants’ products on Target Plus, the big-box retailer’s third-party online marketplace.
Retail brands including — but not limited to — True Classic and Caden Lane will join Target Plus. In a June 24 statement, Target said it will also be “the first mass retailer to work with Shopify to bring select merchants’ products into its physical stores in the months to come, offering shoppers even more new brands to discover.”
Target is No. 5 in the Top 1000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North America’s online retailers by web sales. Digital Commerce 360 categorizes Target as a Mass Merchant.
In North America, 117 of the Top 1000 online retailers use Shopify as their ecommerce platform. In 2023, those 117 online retailers combined for more than $9.72 billion in web sales.
Target Plus and Shopify partnership
U.S.-based Shopify merchants can apply to sell on Target Plus through Marketplace Connect, Target said in the statement. Marketplace Connect is an app that allows merchants to sell and manage orders they receive from online marketplaces.
“Target Plus invites consumers to explore a curated collection of products from vendors we trust, so they can shop our assortment with confidence,” said Cara Sylvester, executive vice president and chief guest experience officer at Target, in the statement. “Our partnership with Shopify extends the breadth of thoughtfully designed and affordable items available to discover and enjoy as part of Target’s distinctive mix of brands shoppers love.”
Shopify president Harley Finkelstein said partnering with Target Plus “helps high-growth brands” reach millions of new customers.
“It’s table stakes for merchants to be everywhere customers are,” Finkelstein said in the statement.
Target exec’s view on retail marketplaces
The retailer also released a Q&A about Target Plus with its chief digital and product officer, Prat Vemana.
Prat Vemana, chief digital and product officer at Target, speaks about Target Plus online marketplace
“Make no mistake,” Vemana said. “We’re all-in on Target Plus. In the past year, we’ve more than doubled the number of partners and products hosted there, and new partnerships like our latest with Shopify will help it continue to grow.”
He said Target Plus is “a win-win-win for everyone involved.” That refers to consumers, the merchants selling on the Target Plus marketplace, as well as Target and Shopify. Vemana cited a report from industry market research company eMarketer. In it, eMarketer said, “retail marketplaces are expected to account for more than 30% of all e-commerce growth in the next three years.”
“That growth will continue through our new partnership with Shopify, which brings the opportunity for more U.S.-based partners to apply to be part of Target Plus,” Vemana said.
“Digital marketplaces are industry game-changers because they enable retailers to give consumers a lot more choices without having to store those products,” Vemana said.
He added that many retailers created digital marketplaces to offer shoppers “anything they might need.”
What is the Target Plus online marketplace?
Target Plus is an online marketplace that Target Corp. launched in 2019. It’s invite-only, and it’s a third-party marketplace, meaning merchants other than Target sell on it. Consumers can shop Target Plus via Target.com and the Target mobile app.
Today, the company said, the Target Plus marketplace features more than 2 million products from more than 1,200 retail partners. Those brands range from home and sporting goods to apparel, Target said. They include such retailers as Crocs, Timberland, Ruggable and Maui Jim. Target chooses which brands it allows to sell on its marketplace.
As with shopping on Target.com, consumers can receive 5% off their Target Plus orders if they use a Target Circle Card. They can also earn free shipping for orders of $35 or more, and they get free returns.
“The retailer’s team of curation experts helps grow its assortment on Target.com quickly by adding trending, premium, direct-to-consumer and national brands,” Target said.
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