What is this?

This is a collection of horizon ideas for Target. These capabilities and experiences are grounded in the uniqueness of our assortment, our inclusivity, our physical store footprint and our beloved brand. We believe they can augment our existing roadmap to truly differentiate us from our competition.

The contributors below have invested their free time into this effort to build new business and reach new audiences. While the solutions below are merely examples of what we could potentially achieve, together they constitute a clear demonstration of how we should be thinking about what’s on the horizon.

Ideation and innovation driven by our purpose and aligned with our strategic direction to become America’s easiest place to shop.

horizon

Sponsor in-flight Wi-Fi on domestic flights to allow guests to shop while they fly.

  • Mary Deelsnyder
  • Phil Wolpers
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in November 2018

AirTime is a digital experience available via smartphone or airplane headrest displays that would give guests the ability to engage with Target during their domestic flights. Through a partnership with passenger airliners, Target would offer free, secure Wi-Fi to all passengers and unlock a shopping experience they otherwise wouldn’t be able to access.

Why do it?

Upon arrival, the last thing people want to do is find nearby stores to accommodate their grocery and essentials needs. With air travel expecting to continue its 8% annual growth through the year 2030, it’s a promising space for Target to consider

Refresh

Offer home furnishing replenishment on an annual basis for millennials who move so frequently move.

  • Dan Wertheimer
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in September 2018

Refresh gives guests the opportunity to purchase groups of items or entire rooms in pay-as-you-go fashion. By paying a low monthly fee, guests can refresh their living room furniture every twelve months, their dining room décor every 6 months, or maybe even their bathroom linens every month. The refresh assortment pairing with monthly fee possibilities can be quite expansive.

Why do it?

Homeownership by millennials is 9 percentage points lower than Generation X and Baby Boomers of the same age. And with renting comes moving. More over, this generation chooses quality over cost. When those two data points are combined, one can derive that nice things and moving don't go hand in hand. A membership-type model for higher priced items can also lead to strategic loyalty results.

Refresh
Supply

Provide hassle-free, party planning management to save teachers time and money.

  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in July 2018

Target.com today is a 1:1 (guest to Target) experience, whereas Supply will be a 1:many:1 (teacher to parents to Target) solution. Teachers will use Supply to notify parents when classroom supplies and essentials are needed. Additionally, parents will utilize Supply to quickly purchase and fulfill those supplies directly to the classroom. Lastly, but most importantly, teachers can share the delightful outcome of those provided supplies with other teachers in the Supply network.

Think of it as a virtuous loop. When teachers want to facilitate a craft project or host a holiday party, they can refer to their Supply network for inspiration, success stories and required items. They can notify parents for needed items in time for the classroom project. Those items can be delivered right to the classroom. After the event, teachers can share pictures and stories to parents and other teachers. With that, the process repeats.

Why do it?

On average, teachers spend $500 per year of their own money on supplies for their classroom. Additionally, when special seasonal events, parties or projects are scheduled, those teachers often request donations or supplies of parents to keep out-of-pocket costs at a minimum. In the case of supply requests, it requires the parents to purchase the items online or in store and have their child bring them directly to their classroom. The probability of that happening is slim to none.

It’s likely that the supplies needed are not cost-effective to ship. However, if purchased in bulk and fulfilled with Target's next-day Restock service, profitability of the transaction greatly increases. And with an audience size of over 3 million teachers, the size of the prize is substantial.

Supply

Empower guests to save by offering group discounts for “shopping together.”

  • Satyajit Gupte
  • Geoff Pursell
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in January 2018

Neighborhood will allow us to identify small clusters of guests who have identical shopping patterns, live near each other and have preferred stores. Using our data, we focus a small group of guests (3 – 5) who purchase an identical set of items (15 – 20) at the same frequency. We introduce them to each other and provide a channel where they can interact and communicate with each other (native or in-app messenger). When one group member makes a Target run, they can ask if the others need any of the shared items. Payment sources for each group member will be securely stored so the purchasing member can be automatically reimbursed for items purchased on behalf of the other group members.

Because we have a high level of confidence they will purchase items in bulk as a group and not individually at a competitive retailer, we can provide a group discount.

Why do it?

About 80% of grocery and essentials products purchased are the same every time a guest shops.

Guests don't feel rewarded for their mundane, repeat purchases and they appreciate the opportunity to leverage a community of like-minded guests with similar shopping behaviors.

Wave

Create a cost-based membership model so Target guests can say goodbye to worrying about prices and chasing promotions.

  • Andy Feierfeil
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in November 2017

Wave is a membership program that guests would pay for like a utility or cable bill. The expectation is that they’ll often spend roughly the same amount per month. When they spend less, the difference can carry over. When they spend more, they can fund the difference. After a few months, we will have determined a guest's usage at the SKU level and we would adjust the membership cost accordingly. That way, membership costs would vary on an individual level. No one guest would have the exact same membership cost. This also would provide flexibility at the guest level to account for how individual usage may differ throughout the year depending on seasonality, personal life changes, etc.

Undoubtedly, the program would need some sort of capping or volume restrictions to prevent fraud, reselling, or otherwise abusing the membership. The volume would be SKU-based and would require heavy lifting from our data science and economics teams to arrive at what a guest could take for any given SKU per month.

Why do it?

What’s the single biggest pain-point, frustration, and friction when shopping? Spending money. No matter how streamlined we make the process of checking out, there is regret, anxiety, and stress associated with knowing you just spent hundreds of dollars. So what; do we eliminate payments? Do we stop exchanging any form of currency exchanged? That is exactly what we're proposing. We rid the experience of anything to do with prices, coupons, deals, comparison shopping, tracking my spending, and so on. Not to mention, the need to pull out cash, a card or device to scan. Let's take the stress out of monthly budgeting.

Wave
Open Box

Merchandise returned and exchanged items so they can be discovered and easily purchased in store and through various digital channels.

  • Andy Feierfeil
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in August 2017

Open Box is a localized item API that can be consumed on by our digital platforms as well as external ones. This will enable guests to shop items on Target.com as well as other classified engines like LetGo or Nextdoor. Because they are local, we can allow for a multitide of fulfillment options when the items are purchased.

Why do it?

$580B in merchandise is returned to retailers every year. $90B alone is returned during the holidays.

Unfortunately, only about 50% of returns make it back onto retail store shelves. The rest, due to circumstances such as damages or opened boxes, are resold for a loss or salvaged completely.

Our collection of returned or exchanged items find their way to back-of-store clearance displays with little visibility. And our store item systems don't capture those items so they can be published on our digital platforms. Moreover, there is an opportunity for Target to resell those items in channels other than our own.

Open Box

Boost REDcard engagement with an exclusive way to save that will bring special occasions or big-ticket items closer to reality for our guests.

  • Erin Arnesen
  • Jeff Stuart
  • Mike Hadden
  • Todd Lintner
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in July 2017

REDcard Reserve is a money-saving program that allows guests to automatically round-up purchases made on their REDcard to the next dollar. Additionally, that round-up will be matched by Target. The funds will be reserved in a secure account associated to their Target.com profile that can be applied to any purchase in the future.

Why do it?

Guests struggle to save money for birthday and holiday gifts because their budget simply doesn't allow for it.

“It’s a nice incentive to spend and reach a certain threshold. You could have a nice chunk of change at the holidays to buy presents with.”

See the proposal

Create a line of washable kids’ beauty products that won’t stain.

  • Bill Springer
Clean Makeup
What is it?
Originated in April 2017

Clean Makeup is a line of beauty products made just for kids, but greatly appreciated by parents. We’d transfer the ease and convenience of washable markers into lipstick, blush and eyeliner that kids would have fun trying on. Parents would appreciate the easy cleanup while allowing kids to exercise their imagination.

Why do it?

About 65% of children start wearing at the age of 8. And even greater percentage start to play with makeup long before they reach that age.

Children love to play dress-up. That can entail putting on mom’s makeup, too. Among all the fun, accidents happen, which can be hard for parents to clean up. This would be a unique entry in our lineup for kids, further distinguishing our assortment from the competition.

Clean Makeup
Fancy Path

Launch a tool that will allow guests to digitally shop alongside their partners, family or friends. It'll be as if they are pushing the cart along side each other in the .com aisles.

  • Ryan Evans
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in February 2017

Fancy Path is an interactive timeline of items viewed and favorited. A guest would share their shopping ID with someone to start sharing with them. Their recipient would then see all the items they’ve browsed on Target.com. In effect, we’d be sharing insight into what they're looking for. Both the original guest and their recipient would then narrow their picks together to arrive at the exact item they’d both agree on.

Why do it?

In our signature categories of Home, A&A and Baby, purchasing decisions are rarely made alone. Guests want feedback and buy-in from others before finalizing the purchase. Relating the thought process and inputs gathered during the browse process can be difficult for guests. With shared, session-based shopping histories, guests would be fully empowered to share their browse paths with others to make more informed purchasing decisions.

Wave
Canvas

Develop influencer communities by empowering our guests to build their own style finds and content.

  • Zach Dillon
  • Patrick Vesperman
  • Evan Hovorka
  • AndyX Nelson
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in December 2016

Canvas is an online portal for affiliate and influencer partners to obtain instruction and assets directly from Target. These could include peer-to-peer learning mechanisms, item feeds and original content that can be easily copied and pasted into their own platforms. Additionally, rules/expectations, compensation models and feedback tools can be accessed through this portal. Permissions and access to assets could vary based on the relationship the partner has with Target.

Why do it?

Over 25% of online renvenue can be attributed to affiliate influence.

Our guests don’t expect Target to tell them how to dress – they glean that from the world they live in. Yet we don't support influencers or affiliates with the necessary assets and resources to share us with their world. We can empower these influencers to easily provide an on-brand Target experience to their communities and channels, while still honoring their vision.

Canvas

Purchase a home in a popular vacation destination, filled and furnished entirely with buyable items from Target and list it for rent on Airbnb.

  • Mary Deelsnyder
  • Lindsey Thomas
  • Ryan Evans
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in November 2016

Bodett is the showroom of all showrooms. It is an actual apartment or home where guests can experience items like the Nintendo Switch, Casper pillows, Nespresso coffee maker or a Dyson stick vacuum during their stay. Where they can relax on Project 62 furniture, admire Hearth & Hand pieces and marvel at Opalhouse décor. Where they can experience Google's connected devices, Sonia Kashuk's line of beauty products and Pillowfort's playful collection of kids’ home items. Most importantly, they can do this in a real environment on their time. This home would be available for short-term rental on a platform like Airbnb or VRBO.

Why do it?

More than 75% of millennials, our future Target guests, prefer spend their money on a desirable experience over buying desired items.

Guests struggle with knowing how items will look on them, fit in their space and work in their lives. To feel confident about purchasing, they need to first experience our assortment in a real environment, not in a store or on a device screen.

See the playbook

Build a text messaging bot that can share item availability and eligible offers with guests 24/7.

  • Cyrus Kalbrener
  • Todd Lintner
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in August 2016

Hero is a messaging bot that is accessible on chat platforms like Facebook Messenger, Twitter and text messaging. It responds to questions about categories or individual items with information about relevant promotions and offers. Guests can then take action on the promotions returned through various digital channels.

Why do it?

About 30% of interactions in 2018 are happening via conversations with smart machines.

Guests need to save money so they can send their kids to summer camp, finish that DIY kitchen project or simply have a merrier Christmas. We offer savings through Cartwheel, the Weekly Ad and manufacturers’ coupons, but we don’t make it easy enough for our guests to discover every savings opportunity.

“Hero is really great. She has a great opportunity to really bring personality to the brand."

“It’s user friendly. It’s like chatting with someone at a Target store.”

See the test results
hi-5

Incentivize guests to pick items from the floor for Ship From Store orders and deliver them to designated locations in store during their usual shopping trips.

  • Todd Lintner
  • Geoff Pursell
  • Ryan Evans
  • Will White2
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in June 2016

hi-5 is a crowdsource platform that translates requests into deliverables, compliments of our guests. Guests can opt-in to the hi-5 community and receive notifications when their help is needed. Then, while carrying out their typical Target run, they can help fulfill someone else’s Ship From Store order by grabbing an additional item during their shopping trip and dropping it in a designated location at the store. Alternately, they may even deliver it to the guest who ordered the item.

Whether it be picking an item needed for a Ship From Store order, suggesting an item that another guests needs help purchasing or delivering an item on behalf of Target, guests can handle it all. And in exchange, they can be compensated for their time in the form of a Target GiftCard.

Why do it?

It costs Target roughly $1.00 per item to pick and pack Ship From Store (SFS) orders.

Guests want the right items, at the right place and in their hands when they need them. Our stores are filled with good, smart guests who are also shopping for the same items. Yet, when thinking about orders that are fulfilled from our stores, our team members can only handle so much. Order Pickup (OPU) orders are always picked before SFS orders, causing a lag in pick completion times for SFS orders.

When tested, guests were really fast at doing this (most did it in 20 minutes or less, faster than our current pick time of about 45 minutes), and they were able to do it fairly accurately, with basically the same amount of information we currently give our team member pickers. Given an aisle number, picture and DPCI, our guests (about 50 in total) had around 90% accuracy – in line with TMs today.

hi-5

Host a farmers’ market for creators, producers and growers in dense urban neighborhoods that don’t have any Target stores nearby.

  • Bill Springer
Lot CPG
What is it?
Originated in October 2016

Lot CPG is a designated property or lot in dense urban neighborhoods across the country. The lot is inhabited weekly by creators, producers and growers (much like a farmers’ market) so locals can directly purchase goods and services.

Why do it?

Guests in these areas may not have access to a formal, community-focused experience where they can purchase handmade, quality products on a regular basis. And merchants don't have an enterprise solution for payment processing and fulfillment when participating in community events.

Lot CPG

Provide the materials, branding and equipment to allow guests to pop-up a Target shop at venues, attractions and landmarks.

  • Eric Weidmann
  • Geoff Pursell
  • Ryan Evans
  • Bill Springer
Bodega
What is it?
Originated in May 2016

Bodega is a kit that guests can purchase to create their own Target storefront. Much like a franchisee, guests can pop up their Target shop, acquire and manage the assortment directly from Target and make commissions off the sales of our items. The kit would include materials and guidance to properly represent the Target brand, instructions and hardware to best display the items as well as technology to transact with other guests.

Why do it?

Whether it be suntan lotion at the ballgame, healthy snacks for the kids at the state fair or a sweater for a cold day in the city, guests have an ever-shifting need for essentials and apparel. Our physical footprint simply can't be everywhere for everyone, but with a little help, our entrepreneurially-minded guests can be there for us.

Bodega
Project Tomoato

Create a unique scoring system that lets guests peek "behind the scenes" for data that can further inform their purchasing decisions.

  • Nikki Mattison
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in May 2016

Tomato is the calculation of an item's overall satisfaction level. The score takes into account an item's purchased quantity, percent of inventory sold, sales rank within a category and percent of purchases returned. This score could be displayed on every item's detail page to better inform guests of an item's quality and their satisfaction after purchasing the item.

Why do it?

70% of shoppers reported being more likely to purchase a product if the mobile site or app they’re purchasing from displays reviews for that item.

Item ratings and reviews are crucial when shopping online. They’re effective when they are authentic and insightful for the guest. But to work, they need to be present, which isn’t always a given.

We have proprietary information for each item that could help replace reviews for items that don’t have them. And for items that do, it’s information that reviewers wouldn't know.

"A lot of products don’t have guest reviews. Or when they do they’re biased. Because they may be paid so sometimes they’re hard to trust."

"The score is more credible because it comes from the store itself, not from other people."

In categories like A&A, this score is especially important because of the speed of item turnover. Often items aren't published on our digital platforms long enough to garner reviews. By providing this score to guests, we can enhance our item detail pages and help inform purchases.

Project Tomoato
Storefront

Provide a storefront that allows guests to curate a list of items from Target that other guests can buy "from them".

  • Zach Dillon
  • Bill Springer
What is it?
Originated in May 2016

Storefront is a management dashboard and a guest-facing shopping experience that allows guests to curate a set of items to be published on a dedicated page and made available for their audience to purchase. Whether it be teachers in need of classroom supplies, company managers in need of office goods or influencers looking to promote the items they're talking about, a storefront allows them to do so easily and effectively for their unique audience.

Why do it?

About 50% of guests say this solves a problem they have and 45% of guests say this concept is unique to Target.

Guests love talking about the items they purchase that satisfy their needs and bring joy to their life. But they currently don't get anything in return for sharing their enthusiasm. In addition, Target doesn’t have any visibility into what purchases are being driven by these influences. This approach will change that.

“I LOOOOVE this idea! My friends are always saying, ‘This is great! Where did you get it? Does Target have any more left??’”

Storefront