(Bloomberg) — Target Corp. asked shoppers how it could improve its curbside-pickup option, and their response was clear: We want coffee.
To that end, the retailer will start offering Starbucks Corp. products later this year for customers of its “Drive Up” service. A test is likely to begin this fall in Target’s hometown of Minneapolis and a second city that executives are still choosing. That will be followed by a broader rollout.
“What they told us was that the No. 1 thing they wanted was Starbucks,” said Mark Schindele, Target’s chief stores officer, in an interview.
The move is part of Target’s efforts to expand its same-day services centered around stores, which have helped the company’s digital sales more than double during the last two years. Customers using services such as curbside pickup, in-store pickup and same-day delivery with Shipt spend on average four times as much as store-only shoppers, Target said.
Customers using the Drive Up service will now also be able to return items starting later this year with the Target app, according to a company statement Wednesday.
As part of a longstanding partnership, Target has offered Starbucks drinks and cafe areas in its stores for years. Target employees will start testing curbside-pickup orders of Starbucks products this summer before the formal rollout, Schindele said.
“Many of our Drive Up guest are parents, they may have their kids in the car, they may not have time, maybe they’re on their way to the kids’ soccer game,” he said. “They’ve told us, ‘You would make our lives easier if you do this.’”
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