Shopify merchants can now sell their items to millions of Target shoppers, thanks to a new partnership. Companies Announce On Monday, sellers on the commerce platform can apply to join Target Plus, the retail giant’s third-party marketplace where merchants can sell and manage orders.
Target is the first major retailer to partner with Shopify to bring merchants’ products to physical stores. The initial group of Shopify sellers that will be featured at Target includes True Classic and Caden Lane, among others.
Target Plus launched in 2019 to allow consumers to discover new products from third-party retailers, such as Crocs, Maui Jim, Timberland and Ruggable. However, the retailer lags behind competitors like Amazon, eBay and Walmart. Facing intense competition, Target is making a strategic move by partnering with Shopify to boost its third-party marketplace, which currently hosts 1,200 sellers, a small fraction of Amazon’s nearly 2 million selling partners and Walmart’s 135,000.
The partnership announcement comes on the heels of Target’s dissatisfaction Quarterly results, which showed a 3.7% decline in comparable sales. This marks the company’s fourth straight quarter of comparable sales decline. Additionally, Target’s total sales fell 3.2% in the first quarter of 2024.