Target’s new Circle 360 membership tier has an introductory price of $49.
Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
Target says it’s soon launching Circle 360, a paid membership tier with unlimited same-day delivery.The move ratchets up the competition with similar offerings from Walmart and Amazon.Target fulfills 95% of its web and app orders from its fleet of about 2,000 stores.
Target is stepping up the competition with Amazon and Walmart with a new paid membership tier, Circle 360, that offers unlimited same-day delivery.
CEO Brian Cornell said Tuesday that the new Circle 360 service would launch on April 7 and would lean heavily on Target’s Shipt service to “build unmistakable recognition for Target same-day delivery.”
Launched in 2019, Target’s Circle program now boasts more than 100 million members who visit five times more often and spend five times as much on average as the typical non-Circle shopper, Target says.
For a promo price of $49, Target says, upgrading to the Circle 360 tier can deliver products to members in as little as one hour with no additional fees or markups. It says customers will also have access to Shipt’s “preferred shoppers” and the marketplace of other retail brands.
“Target Circle 360 members can order everything from groceries to household essentials to the newest must-have item with no additional fees, no markups, and support from our preferred shoppers,” said Cara Sylvester, an executive vice president at Target who’s the company’s chief guest-experience officer.
The Bullseye retailer has invested heavily over the past decade in a strategy it calls “stores as hubs,” which taps into its fleet of nearly 2,000 US stores to fulfill 95% of its web and app orders.
Target’s drive-up services gave the company a significant sales boost during the pandemic, and Cornell said home delivery was “ready for a step-change” when it came to winning and keeping new customers.
Bloomberg reported last month that a new paid membership, code-named “Project Trident,” was in the works to better counter Amazon Prime and Walmart+.
