Dive Brief:

• Target is testing customer services in some stores, including makeup and skincare advice in the beauty aisle and style advice at dressing rooms.

• “Digital Service Ambassadors” will also be in the store to help customers with all kinds of merchandise with the help of tablets.

• The moves resemble the kind of personal attention usually found at more expensive department stores and boutiques.

Dive Insight:

Target is spending a billion dollars on technology to boost its omnichannel efforts, but its not leaving it at that. Clearly the retailer believes that personal interaction with its customers in stores is key to growth.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. similarly has made headlines with the news that it will return its once-ubiquitous store greeters and more store staff to help customers as they shop. Target appears to be taking that even further with dedicated staff in beauty aisles and at dressing rooms who will provide personal attention.

These moves show that even general-merchandise retailers whose wares are priced at the lower end believe that shoppers appreciate a compelling store experience.

One-on-one interactions not only please the customer, but can also help retailers determine which goods and services are in demand, merchandisers have told Retail Dive

“The in-store experience is very personal, one on one,” say Fan Bi, founder of custom menswear retailer Blank Label, says. Blank Label began as a pure-play e-commerce venture, and Bi says that since opening its first physical store, the company has discovered that connecting with customers there has yielded rich information. “With physical stores, as the market continues to change, we'll also be able to be more adaptive.”

It can also really burnish a retailer’s reputation. That’s something Target found out earlier this year when store associates helped a young man find a tie and tie the traditional "four-in-hand" knot as he prepared for his first-ever job interview. They then gave him some added encouragement and advice about how to conduct himself when he got to the interview.

The moment was witnessed by another shopper, whose photo and description of the tender scene went viral.