By October, customers at 1,700 Target stores that have a Starbucks and offer Drive Up service for retail purchases will be able to get curbside delivery of beverages and food, the company announced on Wednesday.
Curbside Starbucks service at Target is currently available at select or all store locations in 24 states. The full nationwide rollout Starbucks curbside service expands an initiative that began in early 2022. At that time, the retailer said the ability to add Starbucks to a curbside order was a top request, according to a survey of Target shoppers.
Here’s how it works: After responding to an in-app notification that their Drive-Up retail order is ready and that they’re en route, customers then get a prompt to place an order from the Starbucks menu.
The company expanded the availability of curbside Starbucks late last year. And earlier this summer, Target further broadened its curbside offerings by adding the option of making drive-up product returns at the retailer’s nearly 2,000 stores.
“Our guests have long told us Drive Up is a game-changer, adding convenience to their daily life, especially when they’re short on time,” Mark Schindele, Target’s chief stores officer said in an announcement. “We’ve continued listening to our guests, who’ve told us overwhelmingly that Drive Up with Starbucks would bring even more ease and joy to every Target run.”
Target, which has a 20-year partnership with Starbucks, said adding drive-up Starbucks delivery “is yet another way we’re leveling up the same-day shopping experience by leveraging our stores.” Target says it's the first retailer to offer this type of service at this scale.
In 2022, the company says it fulfilled over 50% of digital sales through its same-day options, which include pickup, drive up and delivery via Shipt, according to Target’s annual report. The report also notes that its stores fulfill the majority of the digitally originated sales. This arrangement, Target said, allows improved product availability, faster fulfillment times, reduced shipping costs, and allows the retailer to offer customers several same-day fulfillment options.
In May, the company reported flat Q1 sales, although drive-up saw high single-digit growth and same-day services saw mid-single-digit growth. Target is scheduled to report its second-quarter earnings next week.
