Target to Include Shopify Merchants in Digital Marketplace, Physical Stores

Target will begin including select Shopify merchants on Target Plus, the retailer’s third-party digital marketplace.

In addition, in the months to come, Target will offer some of these merchants’ products in its physical stores, the retailer said in a Monday (June 24) press release.

“Our partnership with Shopify extends the breadth of thoughtfully designed and affordable items available to discover and enjoy as part of Target’s distinctive mix of brands shoppers love,” Cara Sylvester, executive vice president and chief guest experience officer at Target, said in the release.

Target Plus was launched in 2019 and currently includes more than 2 million products from more than 1,200 partners that have been selected by the retailer’s curation experts, according to the release.

The marketplace enables Target to offer consumers brands that may be trending, premium or direct-to-consumer, alongside its own product selection, the release said.

By shopping for these brands on the Target Plus website, consumers can buy the products on a site they are already familiar with and gain benefits like free shipping on orders over $35 and free returns, per the release.

Shopify merchants in the United States can use Shopify’s Marketplace Connect app to apply to sell online on Target Plus and to sell and manage orders on that and other marketplaces, according to the release.

“It’s table stakes for merchants to be everywhere customers are, and as the world’s leading retail operating system, we make it easier and more accessible for brands to sell directly to their customers on the best channels,” Shopify President Harley Finkelstein said in the release.

Retail giants have capitalized on the rise of eCommerce by providing third-party marketplace solutions.

These platforms give small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) access to an extensive customer base and equip them with a range of tools and insights to maximize their customer outreach.

For the retailers who offer these marketplaces, like Target, Amazon and Walmart, the platforms help them diversify their product offerings and compete in the digital age.

In an earlier partnership, Shopify teamed up with B2B retail marketplace Faire in September, naming that company its “recommended wholesale marketplace.”

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