Introduction
COVID-19 had a massive impact on the performance of many retailers, and it became important to implement different strategies to maintain high performance and ensure stability in sales. Therefore, the company has expanded its online shopping options and made using its website easier (A Bullseye View, 2023).
Moreover, Target’s managers invested a significant amount of profit into the development of a mobile app that offers contactless payment options and easy delivery services. To avoid long waiting times, customers could use the “Drive Up” system and purchase online to get their products to the parking lot next to the physical shop (A Bullseye View, 2023). It also became important for the company to implement safety measures to protect all parties related to the business. Consequently, all customers and workers were required to wear masks inside the shops.
Target’s Marketing Changes
Additionally, plexiglass barriers were installed at every checkout point for double protection. Target’s response to the COVID-19 cases at the workplace was quick, as the information about positive testing was spread among all workers in the department via email, phone calls, and text messages. Workers could also receive mental support and be advised to visit specific medical centers (A Bullseye View, 2023). These marketing solutions allowed customers to feel safe and maintain loyalty to the company.
To improve the experience of clients in the digital era, the company can increase the performance of personalized shopping. During COVID-19, many people faced the problem of choosing the right product, and specific AI systems might help to cope with this problem. Personalized promotions and product recommendations can keep customers’ interests and increase loyalty, as it will become easier to choose the needed product from the vast range and save time.
Target has enough resources to build innovations, as it managed to keep stable profits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, introducing different payment methods might be helpful in the business. Even though the customer can pay online, it may become useful to set an option “pay in-store” to avoid trust problems and decrease the risk of a virus spreading. This method can be promoted through recent marketing campaigns, as the customer value of the company is added through the promotions.
To achieve the set objectives, it is essential to analyze them from the SMART perspective. SMART goals show the idea’s realism and allow the calculation of the approximate time of execution (Latham, 2020). To make the search process more convenient and adjust to the needs, the AI system should be able to understand what products interest existing and potential clients. This goal stays achievable because the company has already started producing mobile apps to satisfy customers’ needs. Because people always want to save more time, the ideas remain relevant. The development of AI should take one year to be opened for public use.
Conclusion
To increase diversity in the payment options, the main website should be improved. Software developers can create an additional button for the “in-store payment” option along with the “online payment” option in one month. COVID-19 has passed, and people have returned to their previous lives. Therefore, “in-store payment” methods remain realistic in the modern world and can be easily achieved with the help of professional website designers and developers.
References
A Bullseye View (2023). Target’s Coronavirus Response. Web.
Latham, G. (2020). Goal setting. Routledge.