Latest news with #TargetCircle360
Globe and Mail
22-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Does Target's Store-as-Hub Model Still Offer a Competitive Edge?
Target Corporation 's TGT store-as-hub model remains a pivotal competitive moat, seamlessly blending the physical and digital shopping experiences to enhance customer convenience. Despite facing macro pressures, Target has leaned heavily on its nearly 1,981 store locations (as of May 3, 2025) to drive both in-store and digital fulfillment. 96% of first-quarter fiscal 2025 sales volume were fulfilled through stores, underscoring the efficacy of this model. The model enables faster delivery, enhanced customer convenience and cost efficiencies that pure-play e-commerce retailers struggle to match. Same-day services, including Drive Up and same-day delivery through Target Circle 360, are tightly integrated into this store-as-hub network. These offerings have shown robust momentum, with same-day delivery growing more than 35% in the last reported quarter. Furthermore, the average "click to deliver" speed improved nearly 20% year over year, with more than 70% of first-quarter digital orders fulfilled within a single day. This infrastructure actively drives higher engagement and supports the digital ecosystem, including Roundel and Target Plus. Furthermore, ongoing store remodels and commitment to opening about 20 new stores indicate Target's belief in this strategy. While competitors may chase similar omnichannel capabilities, Target's embedded network and operational experience position it to maintain a meaningful advantage in fulfillment speed. Despite recent sales challenges, the store-as-hub model remains integral to Target's growth playbook, offering flexibility, efficiency and relevance in the current retail landscape. How WMT and BBY Leverage Store-as-Hub Models Compared to TGT Walmart Inc. WMT continues to strengthen its store-as-hub model, using its expansive store network to power same-day pickup and delivery. Walmart's integration of stores with digital fulfillment remains a key competitive advantage, supporting its U.S. e-commerce orders through store-based operations. Walmart's ongoing investments in automation and last-mile delivery reinforce this strategy, allowing it to compete aggressively on speed and convenience. Best Buy Co., Inc. BBY also leans heavily on its store-as-hub strategy, utilizing its store fleet to fulfill a significant portion of online orders through same-day pickup and ship-from-store. Best Buy's stores enable rapid fulfillment, while enhancing operational efficiency. Best Buy's ability to leverage physical locations as fulfillment hubs strengthens its competitive positioning. Target's Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates Target stock has risen 10.4% over the past three months compared with the industry 's growth of 0.3%. Target's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99 reflects a lower valuation compared with the industry's average of 31.61. TGT carries a Value Score of A. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Target's current financial-year sales and earnings per share implies a year-over-year decline of 1.8% and 14.8%, respectively. Target currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double" Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest. This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Target Corporation (TGT): Free Stock Analysis Report Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY): Free Stock Analysis Report
Cosmopolitan
18-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Cosmopolitan
Build Your Ultimate Grab-and-Go Beach Bag
Let's be real, beach days aren't always planned. Sometimes the group chat blows up at 10 a.m. and the plan is "meet on the sand by noon." You're not gonna want to miss out—and you won't if you keep a bag ready to go. You know, a pre-packed tote with the MVPs to make any beach day an effortlessly sunny one. That way there's no scrambling, and no forgetting all the musts for soaking up the day: Think an SPF that doubles as skin tint, a foldable hat that won't get crushed under your towel, and a water bottle that keeps liquids cold in the sun. But if you're not quite there yet, fret not. With a Target Circle 360 membership, you can purchase all of the above—beach tote included—from Target and other stores like Sephora and CVS, and have it delivered straight to your door via Shipt. Not only that, but Shipt offers same-day delivery with no price markups (excluding select alcohol retailers and items; terms apply), so no notice will still be no problem.
Miami Herald
11-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Amazon Prime gets bad news amid alarming customer issue
If you were to tell somebody a couple decades ago that one of the biggest retailers in the U.S. had virtually no brick and mortar stores, they'd probably say you were living on another planet. And, to some extent, the past several years have resembled something other-worldly. Related: Famous retail chain makes two more alarming store closures Nevertheless, Amazon (AMZN) has risen to extreme popularity over the past decade for its ability to offer its customers convenience and expedience. And that's just with the click of a button. Despite - or, perhaps, because of - its limited footprint, Amazon has been able to firmly cement itself as one of the premier retailers of today. Its customers are willing to pay upwards of $140 per year for the privilege of speedy shipping and seemingly endless selection. It's popularized same- and next-day delivery - so much so that we now expect nearly all our goods to arrive at our doorstep instantly. This is so much the case that other retailers like Walmart and Target have launched their own versions of Amazon Prime. Dubbed Walmart+ and Target Circle 360, both retailers have accelerated their e-commerce capabilities in an effort to keep up with customer demand - and to grab a piece of the online pie before Amazon gobbles it all up. Image source: Bloomberg/Getty Images Part of the reason Amazon has been able to grow so quickly is because it offers quick access to pretty unbeatable deals. While other retailers certainly offer rock-bottom prices, like Costco and Dollar General, these stores operate primarily in-person. Sure, you can buy things on all of their websites, but the lion's share of business is done at their brick and mortar locations. More Retail: Lowe's launches massive early answer to Amazon Prime DayTarget has new plan to win back customers with big savingsHome Depot makes clear statement amid boycott threatsFamous retail chain makes two more alarming store closures Their customers primarily do their shopping at a physical location, which means you have to actually put some clothes on and drive there if you want to save some money. Amazon, on the other hand, allows you to shop for deals from the convenience of your own home. And that's all done while you wear sweatpants or whatever else it is you find comfortable. Which is good business, particularly for people who value their time almost as much as their dollar. In fact, Q1 2025, Amazon's net sales grew by 9% year-over-year. Amazon had a bumper 2024. Its Prime Days were a success, and execs proudly touted it as a record for the company. Sales topped over $14 billion - up over 11% compared to the year prior. Now, however, a worrying new report from Momentum Commerce indicates Amazon's 2025 Prime Days aren't quite off to an electric start. Related: Famous sporting goods chain makes drastic change worth millions Momentum Commerce claims sales during Amazon's first day of Prime Day, July 8, 2025, were down by 41% compared to the first day in 2024. It's still predicting Amazon Prime in 2025 to be a big one, however. It projects growth of over 9% compared to 2024. Amazon, for its part, is refuting Momentum's findings. A spokesperson for Amazon told Axios that the numbers are "highly inaccurate" and "statements made by third-party consultancies that don't have access to the actual data." Adobe Analytics, on the other hand, claims sales for Prime Day are already up 10% compared to last year. Related: Amazon suddenly closing key warehouse, signaling delivery shift The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Target crafts new plot to win back customers (and save you money)
It's pretty hard to make sweeping generalizations about the retail industry. Try as some analysts and customers might, it's pretty hard to draw clear parallels between distinct retailers. Related: Struggling mall retailer closing more stores amid alarming trend To be sure, there are similarities between a handful of companies. And, sometimes, we might even be able to identify a few trends amongst these groups. Take, for example, Walmart and Amazon. Obviously, they're two massive retail companies. And depending on how you measure, they are the biggest retailer and biggest online retailer in the world, respectively. They've shared a few similarities over the years. During Covid, they both saw massive growth, particularly in the e-commerce space as more folks shifted to online shopping. And both have been beefing up their logistical capabilities so they can make more deliveries faster across the U.S. But it's really hard to compare them as apples to apples, since both operate distinct business models. Amazon runs a robust cloud services arm, which accounts for a bulk of its profit. And Walmart runs a primarily brick-and-mortar model. So it's hard to draw too many comparisons between the two - or extract trends during an earnings report and extrapolate to the retail industry as a whole. Image source: Shutterstock One of the other large retailers in the U.S. is Target (TGT) . The Minnesota-based big-box store is in a league of its own. Like Walmart, it operates a primarily brick-and-mortar model. But it has a distinct business model that's unique from anyone else. More Retail: Lowe's launches massive early answer to Amazon Prime DayTroubled mall chain weighs a sale amid worrying customer trendHome Depot makes clear statement amid boycott threats It's been slower to the online party; Target has been working on standing up a successful online shopping division propelled specifically by its paid membership program, Target Circle 360. But the company was almost painstakingly careful about expanding its e-commerce capabilities. It didn't roll out Target Circle 360 until 2024 - nearly two decades after Amazon Prime was launched and four years after Walmart+. So it missed the initial online shopping enthusiasm that Covid brought. But it has still managed to capture a particularly loyal cohort of Target shoppers who prefer to visit their local Target above any other super-retailer. It hasn't been all smooth sailing for Target, though. The company has found itself at the center of contentious boycotts over the past two years as customers claim it has been either too socially outspoken or not outspoken enough. Related: Lowe's launches massive early answer to Amazon Prime Day Now, however, Target is attempting to rise above the noise and is focusing its efforts on an early back-to-school campaign, which is one of its most profitable shopping seasons. The two campaigns are targeted at students and their parents. The first campaign, dubbed "Hey Mom, I'm at Target," is aimed at college kids who shop at the store before going off to university but still call home to ask their parents questions. The second campaign, called "All of the Above," is aimed at younger students and teachers. It's supposed to showcase Target's affordability and accessibility for students and professionals. Target will also promote savings via its Target Circle 360 program. The retailer is offering a student discount, which will get college students 20% off a purchase when they use their Target Circle 360 membership. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Miami Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Formerly bankrupt retailer reportedly weighs sale amid struggles
One of the hardest things for a retailer to do is admit that it needs help. It seems like too often, a retailer struggles to see that it has a problem. Related: Home Depot makes clear statement amid boycott threats Perhaps customers, passersby, and even competitors might be able to tell that a given brand or chain has an issue. Maybe it's fallen out of favor with a key demographic and is no longer considered cool. Perhaps the retailer can't afford to rent in central, downtown hubs, so its stores lie empty risk irrelevance. Or maybe that retailer is spread way too thin, and it has too many stores to upkeep. Whatever the case, it's a hard thing for a retailer to finally admit that it needs to be salvaged. And sometimes, it doesn't get help until it's too late. Sometimes this is because pride is involved, and running a business can involve a lot of personal feelings wrapped up in the accounting. And sometimes it's just because trends change at a rapid pace. So it can be difficult for a brand to see that customer tastes are changing. This is especially the case for large retailers that have a lot of stores, employees, or overhead. That's especially the case for some mall retailers, which have been met with trouble in recent years. Long before Covid and the launch of Walmart+ and Target Circle 360, indoor shopping malls had been struggling. This is partly because shopping malls require a lot of time. More Retail: Walmart makes drastic change amid alarming customer trendLowe's makes one of its largest ever billion-dollar acquisitionsSubway owner makes major billion-dollar fast food acquisitionAmazon makes a harsh decision amid concerning customer trend In fact, the average shopper spent an average of 12 hours per month inside a shopping mall in the 1990s. That sort of time commitment is is something few modern customers are willing to give. Now that we're able to shop online for so many of our modern conveniences, handing over an unnecessarily long period of time to accomplish the same tasks we could do online just seems redundant. That's why so many of us choose to do everything from banking, taxes, grocery shopping, and mattress shopping online. Plus, many shopping malls charge their tenants outsized rents for access to a lot of foot traffic. But when fewer customers come, that high rent can be harder to justify. That's a lesson that Claire's, an iconic mall retail chain has learned the hard way. Claire's was popular in the 2000s among young girls and teens for its low-price jewelry and accessories. It also offered piercing services and was a common destination for shopping and birthday parties. Related: Struggling retail chain makes another alarming closure But it has struggled in recent years. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018 but continued to operate over 1,500 stores. It exited Chapter 11 in October 2018. Its troubles aren't over, however. Now, Claire's is reportedly considering a sale, per Fox Business. The retail chain has been struggling with increased competition from other stores, like Shein and Amazon. And tariff pressures on Chinese-made goods (where many of Claire's products come from) has only made the situation worse. But finding an interested buyer might be tricky. Claire's also has a $500 million loan due at the end of 2026. Pair all of this with Americans' decreasing appetite for spending in general right now, and the situation might be a difficult one for the once-iconic mall retail chain. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
