Target testing Curbside’s store pickup model

Ten Target stores in the San Francisco area are experimenting with a new mobile shopping app called Curbside, which promises to deliver the next generation of commerce.



Curbside launched its mobile app this week to make finding, buying and getting the things shoppers need from their favorite local stores faster and easier than ever before, according to the company. Target is among the retailers whose stores are participating in the Curbside app.



“At Target, we are always looking for new ways to improve the shopping experience,” said Casey Carl, Target’s president of omnichannel. “We’re excited to see how our Bay Area guests respond to the Curbside service, which provides an extremely convenient way for guests to get what they need on those days when every moment counts.”



The Curbside app allows shoppers to find the products that are in stock at multiple local stores and check out with a single tap. According to Curbside, its technology allows it to accurately represent retailers’ inventory and reliably alert local stores when customers approach. At stores with Curbside pickup locations merchandise is brought to the customers' vehicles while other locations require customers to come inside the store. The service is free and Curbside said it does not mark up retailers’ prices.

“With more speed and convenience than home delivery, Curbside is the perfect solution for today’s mobile, on-the-go consumers,” said Curbside co-founder and CEO Jaron Waldman. “We see a great opportunity to help a busy parent or someone on their way home from work to conveniently get what they want from their favorite nearby stores.”



In addition to the 10 Target stores, Curbside is also available at Westfield’s Oakridge shopping center in San Jose, where shoppers can make purchases from multiple retailers and pick up at a single location.



The company has received a total of $9.5 million in funding from some notable venture capital funds. Among the company’s investors are Index Ventures, Jerry Yang’s AME Cloud Ventures, O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors, Chicago Ventures, TenOneTen and WGI Group.



“Location-based shopping is the future of mobile commerce, and Curbside is at the forefront of it,” said Yang, founding partner, AME Cloud Ventures, and co-founder of Yahoo. “The Curbside founders are successful entrepreneurs, who each have sold their companies to Apple. They have now assembled a talented team that has developed a fast and convenient experience around location-based product search. It is mobile commerce done right and it will change the way people shop.”