Target turbocharges supply chain, marketing for holidays
Target Corp. is getting holiday deliveries to customers faster. It's also launching its second holiday marketing campaign of the season, featuring a new take on a familiar red-suited, bearded Christmas character.
The discounter is bolstering the capabilities of its 11 sortation centers, which streamline the process of fulfilling and delivering online orders by removing the sorting process from the backroom of stores, and optimizing delivery routes for the holidays.
Faster delivery
Target has been making continued investments across its network of 11 sortation centers, which it says reaches approximately 60 million consumers, quadrupling its daily package volumes and processing up to 20,000 packages per hour.
According to Target, these facilities allow faster batching, sorting and delivery of packages directly from nearby stores, reducing delivery times and making last-mile delivery faster than ever. The retailer says many online orders will reach customers the next day when they place their orders by noon as a result of how it is using technology to optimize delivery routes.
Compared to 2023, Target says it is able to serve more customers with four additional supply chain facilities, two new food distribution centers in Sacramento and in Windsor, Conn., and an omnichannel flow center in Hampton, Ga.
"Technology is how we deliver speed, accuracy, value and personalization, all wrapped into an experience that serves up the best of Target," Michael Fiddelke, Target COO, said in a corporate blog post. "You see it in our supply chain with how we manage inventory to get the right item to the right customer at the right time."
[READ MORE: Target holiday plans include pop-ups, in-store shops, ‘fantastical’ creatures]
New holiday promotion
Target's new holiday marketing campaign, called "Kris From Target," launches on Sunday, Nov. 17. It features a fictional store associate, Kris, who resembles a more fit and modern version of Kris Kringle. He will star in a series of spots emphasizing how Target’s store employees play a crucial role in its holiday customer experience. Spots will run across a wide mix of channels including social, TV, streaming and short-form video
This follows Target’s first holiday marketing campaign of the season, “Happier Holidays from Target,” which highlighted how Target can make checking off your shopping list feel “magical.”
Target and the Mythology agency developed and produced this year’s holiday campaign creative content. Both ad campaigns will run through the end of the holiday season.
“We are excited to bring this special Tarzhay magic to life in our Holiday marketing, starting with our first campaign ‘Happier Holidays from Target,'" said Lisa Roath, executive VP and chief marketing officer, Target. "As shoppers move further into the season, and their holiday checklists become the priority, we bring them ‘Kris from Target.' This new campaign introduces a joyful new Target team member who is ready to help our guests complete any holiday shopping mission – with a touch of magic."
"We hear from shoppers that joy and magic live in our aisles every day, but especially during the holidays," said Lisa Roath, executive VP and chief marketing officer, Target. "We are excited to bring this special ‘Tarzhay’ magic to life in our holiday marketing, starting with our first campaign ‘Happier Holidays from Target.’ This new campaign introduces a joyful new Target team member who is ready to help our guests complete any holiday shopping mission – with a touch of magic."
