Target (NYSE: TGT) recently announced that it is testing the expansion its curbside offerings, allowing customers to be able to have the choice of picking up Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) coffees alongside their curbside pickup at select locations and drive up to process easy returns.
The retail giant stated that the new options are coming this fall to its "Drive Up" service, but it still declined to reveal specific store locations or other such details.
According to Target, the choice to offer Starbucks orders in the form of curbside pickup has been a heavy demand from consumers for quite some time now. The way that the process works is that en route to Target, items will be able to be ordered from the Starbucks menu via the Target app. Target workers will then take the orders out to customers upon their arrival. This procedure will then be able to be finished in the Drive Up lane.
"Our guests continue to tell us they love the ease and convenience of Drive Up, and they have been asking us to add even more of the Target experience to the service. Adding a Starbucks order and easy returns, while expanding our backup item options, will give guests even more of what they love about shopping at Target, quickly and easily," siad Mark Schindele, Target's chief stores officer, in a press statement. "Ongoing investments in our same-day services have built trust and relevance with our guests, while meeting their needs - no matter how they choose to shop."
For this Drive Up lane feature, there will also be a "backup item" choice, which will occur when customers have the option of picking from a broader variety of categories (e.g. beauty and household items). This feature will serve as a way of helping customers to signify "backup items" in case their first choices are unavailable. 98% of the time, Target employees on various teams have successfully guided customers when it comes to discovering backup items, particularly when it is related to encouraging shoppers to find more of what they are in need of.