Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnDaniel KlineFri, July 3, 2026 at 10:44 PM GMT+2 5 min readIf retail has a big three comprised of Walmart, Amazon, and Target, Target serves as the clear bronze medalist on that list. The retailer lacks the billions Walmart has been able to spend to breach the digital advantage Amazon had.The retailer, for example, could not build out its own same-day delivery system to match its key rivals. Instead, Target built out similar delivery capabilities without spending billions.In 2017, the retailer paid $550 million to acquire Shipt, a company that deploys contractors to personally shop and deliver food from Target stores on the same day. Shipt also delivers from CVS, OfficeMax, Sephora, and more.Target built on that purchase and partnered with Uber Eats, DoorDash, and others, giving it a frugal way to match what Walmart and Amazon offered.On the digital side of the business, Target certainly can't match Walmart and Amazon when it comes to spending, but it has taken two key steps to differentiate its offerings. First, the retailer built out its network of owned-and-operated brands, and now, the chain has added a number of well-known brands to its invitation-only Target Plus online platform.Target Plus offers what the retailer calls a "curated and carefully selected third-party marketplace," according to a press release.Basically, it's a section of Target's website offering merchandise that matches what its customers want, but which may not be sold in its stores. It's an effort to add selection without having to take on inventory. Unlike Amazon and Walmart's third-party marketplace offerings, however, it's exclusive and invitation-only for vendors."Target's taking what I would call a shopper- and guest-centric view of this, not an advertising, revenue-maximization approach to it," longtime retail consultant Bryan Gildenberg, founder and CEO of Confluencer Commerce, told Modern Retail.Target Chief Marketing Officer Cara Sylvester explained during the retailer's fourth-quarter earnings call how the online marketplace fits with the chain's overall retail goals."It's really an extension of our assortment strategy. And so the team is accelerating in places like home, where we've pulled back on big and bulky products in the stores in some cases. We're leaning full speed ahead in on categories like furniture, mattresses, rugs, places where the guest expects a broader assortment, and we're able to deliver that style and design authority, but do it in a more inventory and cost-efficient way," she said.Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info