Image source: Curbside
Hopes were high back in 2014 when Target launched a pilot of the Curbside mobile app in San Francisco. While the retailer later expanded the test to include stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and other locations around the San Francisco Bay area, the trial failed to produce the results Target was looking for. The company announced it would discontinue Curbside in its stores on June 15.
According to a Consumerist report, Target has decided to focus its digital efforts on in-house programs including Cartwheel, in-store pickup and using stores to ship online orders.
Back in October 2014, Jason Goldberger, who was recently named Target’s chief digital officer and president of Target.com, said Curbside and a host of other mobile apps the company was rolling out at the time would all play a role in “making it easier than ever for guests to shop Target.”
Editor’s note: Having attempted to use the Curbside app at a local Target in New Jersey, we found that it was not a time saver since many of the items our household regularly purchases from the store were not included in the app’s list. Ultimately, someone would need to go inside the store to complete our shopping basket.