Target expanding next-day delivery to top 35 cities

In a strategic move to enhance its competitive edge against industry giants like Walmart and Amazon, Target is set to expand its next-day delivery services for online orders to cover 35 key metropolitan areas across the United States. This initiative aims to bolster customer satisfaction and convenience as the holiday shopping rush approaches.

According to recent announcements, customers in cities such as Cleveland, Orlando, Florida, and Pittsburgh can expect this expedited delivery option by the end of October. The timing is critical as it strategically precedes the busy holiday season, when consumers are increasingly seeking swift and reliable shopping solutions.

Target, currently the eighth largest retailer in the nation by revenue, has plans to extend next-day delivery services to over 20 additional areas in 2024. This expansion is part of Target’s wider strategy to renovate its stores into mini-fulfillment centers, enhancing its ability to meet growing online demand.

The retailer has made next-day delivery accessible to customers with orders exceeding $35, or for those who are part of the Target Circle 360 membership program. Moreover, customers using Target’s credit card can also benefit from the service without any minimum purchase requirement. An impressive variety of items—estimated to include about 85% of products available in physical stores—will qualify for next-day delivery, as confirmed by a recent press release from Target.

Presently, Target has established same-day delivery services that reach 80% of the U.S. population and offers two-day shipping to an impressive 99% of the country. Reflecting on the achievements over the past year, during the second quarter, Target successfully delivered over 2 million more next-day packages compared to the same timeframe in 2022, as highlighted by Gretchen McCarthy, the company’s executive vice president and chief of supply chain & logistics.

In comparison, Amazon has reported delivering more than 9 billion items the same or next day throughout 2024, with same-day delivery services reaching 140 metropolitan areas. Meanwhile, Walmart claims to cover 95% of the U.S. population with both same-day and next-day delivery, reporting 7.1 billion packages delivered last year.

Target employs a logistics model where stores act as fulfillment centers, which the company argues leads to increased efficiency and lower costs. Orders are retrieved from local stores and taken to one of 11 sortation centers, where they are sorted, batched, and prepared for delivery to nearby neighborhoods. This is facilitated by Shipt, Target’s delivery subsidiary, and various third-party carriers. Depending on the market, around 30 to 40 local stores are connected to each sortation center, optimizing inventory and service levels.

The innovative approach of separating the sorting and packing processes from standard store operations is designed to save valuable time and space, allowing store teams to handle more orders while still providing excellent customer service. Additionally, the technology at sortation centers enables effective presorting of packages for expedited processing, which significantly benefits delivery partners.

Shipt operates through a network of independent drivers who select delivery assignments via an app and utilize their own vehicles to complete residential deliveries.

“In regions where customer demand for shipping is high or growing, we strategically analyzed the density of our stores and supply chain assets to implement next-day services in a cost-effective manner. This cost-effectiveness is crucial; our digital business remains profitable, and as customer demand for digital shopping increases, our supply chain must continue to support that growth while being beneficial for Target’s financial health,” McCarthy explained in a Q&A featured on the company’s official website.