Target expanding delivery service as Christmas approaches

Target is preparing customers for a busy holiday season with its next-day delivery service.

The retailer is expanding its next-day delivery of online orders to more markets throughout the U.S., according to a Wednesday press release. This means that shoppers will be able to receive their purchases the day after they’re ordered in about 30 metro areas.

Part of the reason for the service expansion, Target explained, is to “make holiday shopping quicker and easier.”

“Most items eligible for shipping at Target are eligible for next-day delivery,” Target’s release reads. “That includes hundreds of thousands of items — 85 percent of what we sell in Target stores.”

Customers can receive next-day delivery for no additional cost on orders over $35. Members of Target’s reward program, Target Circle 360, or those who use the brand’s store payment card, Target Circle Card, for purchase, don’t need to pay extra for next-day delivery.

The next-day delivery service is now available in cities nationwide, including Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, New York City, and Seattle. You can find the full list of 35 major U.S. metropolitan areas that have the Target delivery service here.

Aside from next-day delivery, Target also offers same-day delivery, giving shoppers their items within three hours, that has reached “80 percent of the U.S. population,” according to the retailer. The retailer’s two-day shipping option has reached 99 percent of the U.S. population.

The expansion of Target’s delivery service comes one month after it announced a billion-dollar plan to revamp stores. Incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke said the company will invest about $5 billion in upgrades next year, which is a roughly $1 billion increase year-on-year.

The money will go toward improving stores, updating product selection, and strengthening Target’s website and digital systems. “Mission 1 through 10 is to get back to growth for us,” Fiddelke told reporters in a call, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Shoppers have complained recently about messy stores, empty shelves, and less exciting products, the outlet reported.

Target said it wants to fix those issues through better store experiences, more appealing merchandise, and updated technology. Executives said the additional investment is necessary after the company logged its 12th consecutive quarter of weak or falling sales.

Target also said it cut prices on 3,000 everyday items ahead of the holidays and revealed plans to offer trendy exclusives like trading cards and Stranger Things merchandise.