Target teamed up with brands on a curated third-party marketplace
Target+ will only sell goods from brands the retailer reached out to.
Target is expanding its third-party offerings with the launch of a new online marketplace called Target+. Unlike its Amazon counterpart that takes applications to sell from any brand or vendor, though, Target+ is an invitation-only affair. It only sells curated items from partner companies the retail giant reached out to, which currently include sports goods maker Mizuno and educational toy maker Kaplan. The initiative won't be expanding its catalogue that much as you can tell, but the retailer plans team up with more brands in the future.
As CNBC noted, working with select brands and offering only curated items will help Target avoid the issues Amazon has deal with. Just over the past year, Amazon received a lot of flak for selling white supremacist products, especially since its own policies clearly state that "hatred-glorifying" goods are not allowed on its platform. There's also the company's never-ending problem with counterfeit goods. Even though it requires sellers to ask for permission from certain brands to list their products, there are still tons of fakes for sale on its website.
Target+ goods will be integrated with the rest of the retailer's products and won't be listed in a separate portal. While that means you can't look for Target+ items in particular, it also means you'll be able to use the company's REDCard discount and enjoy free shipping.
