SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 25: A Target logo is displayed outside a store on April 25, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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In the world of third-party retail marketplaces, Target stands apart. While Amazon and Walmart run open platforms where any vendor can pay to play and get their products listed alongside first-party inventory, Target Plus is carefully curated, where only selected brands are invited to play in their sandbox.
This transforms the marketplace shopping experience from an abundance of riches—and the paradox of choice that comes with it—into a carefully edited collection of products that fit seamlessly alongside Target’s own assortment. It’s the “Tar-zhay” enhancement applied to third-party ecommerce.
This approach—leading with style and design, anchored by value, merchandising authority and enhanced customer experiences, both in-store and online—is pivotal to Target’s turnaround. Jefferies analysts call it a “cultural reset,” a play-to-win strategy where differentiated merchandise is the “most important change.”
Target’s most recent results show its differentiated merchandising strategy is working. First-quarter revenues grew 6.7%, with every merchandise sector posting gains, including a 15% surge in Hardlines (Fun 101) and 10% growth in Beauty.
And in the quarter, Target Plus was on fire, with GMV up nearly 60% and digitally originated comparable sales rising 20%. To keep that forward momentum, Target Plus has invited a range of new, in-demand brands to the platform as it sets its sight on scaling the marketplace from $1 billion to $5 billion by 2030.
Joining The Line Up
Unlike Amazon and Walmart, where sellers buy their way in, Target Plus is built on partnerships. Every brand must earn its place on the platform and is chosen to complement Target’s differentiated merchandising strategy.
Chief digital and revenue officer Sarah Travis oversees the brands selected to be hosted on Target Plus, and she does it in true “merchant prince”—or more accurately, princess—fashion.
Three new apparel brands are coming on board, representing a mix of classic heritage, trend-forward style and performance:
- Heritage footwear brand Clarks, which celebrated its 200th anniversary last year and remains partly family-owned, is bringing its classic styles, comfort, and value to the platform.
- Trend-forward fashion brand Forever 21—forced to close all stores following last year’s bankruptcy and now owned by Authentic Brands—is opening on Target Plus, broadening its reach to a youthful audience.
- JanSport joins in the functional performance sportwear category.
The beauty and wellness assortment will get a lift with the addition of premium, dermatologist-owned LovelySkin skincare brand and health supplements brand NatureWise.
Other additions include Serta, an authority in mattresses and bedding; JLab in value-focused audio technology, including Bluetooth and wired earbuds and headphones; Hisense in TVs and home appliances; and Wild Alaska Company, a sustainable,100% wild-caught and flash-frozen seafood brand.
Complements, Not Competes
Amazon and Walmart have been beset by controversies surrounding their third-party marketplaces. Amazon faces a class-action lawsuit over claims it overcharged for products sold by third-party sellers and prohibited vendors for charging less on other platforms. And Inc’s Micah Solomon found the economics of Prime Day rarely works in sellers’ favor once the required the 20% price discount, 15% referral fee on every sale and hefty advertising fees are factored in. Likewise, Walmart has battled charges of lax third-party vetting, allowing counterfeits on the site and false health claims, following a CNBC investigation last year.
Target Plus takes a fundamentally different approach. Its relationship with third-party vendors is more a partnership than a transaction—benefitting both customers and brands.
“One of the biggest advantages of Target Plus is that it helps us build our assortment strategies around what guest want most from Target and what’s best for our business,” Travis said. “It gives us another way to serve guests online while making thoughtful choices about the role our stores play.”
She noted that by offering larger-sized items—TVs, computers and home goods—online, it frees up store space for products better suited to in-person shopping. And Target Plus gives the retailer the ability to expand choices across a wider range of specialty brands.
“As we bring more new brands to Target Plus, we’re focused on brands that add something meaningful for guests and reinforce what guests expect from Target: style, design and value,” she concluded.
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