Time was, Amazon led the way in pushing the e-commerce industry towards a consumer expectation that delivery should be free. Then came the push for a two-day delivery option, and now that Amazon is starting to move into an expansion of same-day delivery, its biggest retail competitors — like Walmart and Target — are following suit.
Target on Thursday announced an expansion of its same-day delivery service that now covers just about everyone in the US. As part of today’s announcement, Target is bringing the option to customers in 47 states, all of whom will be able to log on to Target.com and place orders for any of 65,000 eligible products that can show up to the customer’s door same-day — in some cases, in as soon as one hour.
The orders are fulfilled by a delivery startup called Shipt that Target bought two years ago, and there’s a flat fee of $9.99. When you’re on the Target site looking for items to buy, products that are eligible for same-day delivery are clearly marked, and the other good news is that if you decide to pay $99 to become a Shipt member, you’ll get free delivery on orders of $35 or more.
“With same-day delivery now available directly within the Target.com experience, we’ve made it even easier for our guests to shop at Target — while still getting the great value, curated product assortment and helpful guest service they’ve come to expect,” said Dawn Block, Target senior vice president, digital.
Among other points to note, there are some additional perks to be aware of. When Target customers use their REDcard to pay, for example, that will give them an extra 5% off their purchase. They can also take advantage of weekly ad promos — like buy three items, get a $5 Target GiftCard.
If you want to try out Shipt’s delivery service, Target is touting a free four-week trial. You can also pay a $9.99 delivery fee for each order on Target.com, which Target says effectively gives guests the benefits of same-day delivery without having to commit to an annual membership.
