Target is putting back-to-school sales in its crosshairs with the latest expansion of its Drive Up curbside click-and-collect service.
Timed for the start of the new school year, the discounter is rolling out Drive Up to more than 300 new stores, making curbside pickup available at more than 1,550 stores total. As part of the expansion, for the first time Drive Up is coming to New England with the addition of stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire.
Drive Up allows customers to place a mobile order, pull up to their local store, and have an associate bring the order to their car in less than two minutes for free.
Shoppers can select products from an assortment of nearly 200,000 items including home furnishings, toys, electronics, household essentials, non-perishable food, and baby-care in the Target app, and select Drive Up at checkout. Target notifies them when their order is ready for pickup, and the customer alerts the store when they’re on their way. The customer then parks in a designated spot so a Target associate can load up their car.
Target built the supporting infrastructure in-house. The discount giant introduced Drive Up in October 2017 and previously expanded its availability in August 2018, April 2019, and May 2019.
For the first time, Drive Up is available at Target stores in the following metro areas:
• Massachusetts (Boston metro area, Springfield, Worcester)
• Rhode Island (Providence/Warwick)
• Maine (Portland, Augusta, Bangor)
• New Hampshire (Manchester, Concord, Keene)
In addition, Drive Up has expanded to more stores in:
• New York (Rochester, Syracuse, Albany/Schenectady, Binghamton, Buffalo/Niagara Falls, Ithaca)
• Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh, Altoona, State College)
• Connecticut (Hartford)
“Whether you’re shopping for back to school or everyday essentials, Drive Up makes it easy to get what you need fast,” said Dawn Block, senior VP, digital, Target. “We’re excited to bring Drive Up to more stores so guests can have more options to get their Target Run done on their terms.”