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"Newness" is enticing inflation-weary consumers to spend

Aug 21, 2024
Retail giant Target appears to be banking on refreshed product lines, which can make shopping feel more like a treasure hunt.
New products, when marketed well, can entice wallet-wary shoppers to spend.
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Major retailers lower prices as competition heats up

May 23, 2024
Target and Walmart are among the outlets competing for the dollars of consumers who may have reached the limit of what they will pay.
"We've made price cuts on 1,500 frequently shopped items," Target CEO Brian Cornell told investors.
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Dwindling savings and changing consumer tastes have hit Target hard

May 22, 2024
Meanwhile, its competitors are doing pretty well, including Walmart, where groceries account for 60% of sales.
Most of that extra cushion in people’s savings accounts from the pandemic is now gone, says Columbia professor Brett House.
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As higher-income households do more shopping at Walmart, the store is stocking fancier brands

Mar 22, 2024
The fluorescent lit aisles of big box stores don’t scream luxury. But for certain items, consumers just don’t care.
The fluorescent lit aisles of big box stores don’t scream luxury. But for certain items, consumers just don't care.
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Retailers take on Amazon Prime with new subscription services

Mar 7, 2024
Walmart's on-demand delivery program starts Sunday. Target's version of Amazon Prime launches in April. Is there room for more subscriptions?
The average American has12 subscriptions, says Raghu Iyengar of The Wharton School. That doesn't leave much room for Target's and Walmart's.
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The art of the private label brand

Mar 5, 2024
And why Target considers them key to keeping customers spending.
Private label sales reached an all-time high in 2023. Target has over 45 of its own private label brands.
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Private labels are gaining fans among the public

Feb 15, 2024
With price increases hitting major brands, many retailers are creating their own private label products and their popularity is growing.
This week, Target announced it's revamping its Up&Up store brand. Persistent inflation may provide a lift to generics.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

As Christmas looms, the shipping wars accelerate

Dec 21, 2023
UPS and FedEx, not to mention Target and Walmart, are all racing to keep up with Amazon's same- or next- day shipping options because shoppers have become used to faster delivery times.
Amazon says more than half of Prime orders arrived same day or next day during the first half of this year in the 60 biggest U.S. metro areas.
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Retail inventories have dropped. But discounts might stick around.

Aug 16, 2023
Over the last year, many retailers have been successfully using discounts to purge their excess inventories. Now, retailers might use discounts to lure skittish consumers.
Target announced its inventories were down 17% from last year.
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For brands facing transphobic backlash, walking back inclusive campaigns may be "shortsighted"

Jun 16, 2023
Target and Bud Light bowed to pressure for supporting LGBTQ people, but now many of those shoppers may take their money elsewhere.
A customer browses Pride Month accessories at a Target store on June 6. Following a backlash, the company pulled some products catering to LGBTQ shoppers.
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