Target Adds Drive Up With Starbucks Service

Shoppers can conveniently grab coffee and menu items with other orders

8/9/2023

It was one of the most-requested services and now it's happening at Target stores nationwide: drive-up Starbucks coffee service.

Making it easier for shoppers to go on a coffee run, Target Corp. is offering Starbucks drive-up service at certain locations. Now, customers who use the Target app can add a drink or food item from the in-store Starbucks Cafe to their pickup order.

According to Target, the service was piloted in 2022 and earlier this year and is being rolled out this summer and fall. By October, more than 1,700 stores with onsite Starbucks locations and drive-up service will be able to fulfill such orders.

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The move is a natural progression of the retailer’s e-commerce offerings and follows shopper interest in getting more errands done in one pickup trip. "Our guests have long told us Drive Up is a game-changer, adding convenience to their daily life, especially when they're short on time," said Mark Schindele, Target’s chief stores officer. "We've continued listening to our guests, who've told us overwhelmingly that Drive Up with Starbucks would bring even more ease and joy to every Target run."

Mark Ring, SVP, U.S. licensed stores for Starbucks Canada and Siren Retail, said that the move makes sense for both companies and their loyal customers. "Starbucks has a long history of adapting and innovating how we serve our customers, meeting them where they are. Offering the Starbucks Experience to the Target Drive Up guest is a great example of two iconic brands creating a joyful moment in a way that Starbucks and Target are uniquely positioned to do together,” he remarked.

Target, which has partnered with Starbucks for more than 20 years on in-store cafes and product assortments, claims to be the first retailer to offer this service on such a scale. The companies tested the process throughout the pilot program and continue to “fine-tune” the experience, they reported. Based on the pilot, the three best-selling items for drive-up orders include iced brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso, birthday cake pop and iced caramel macchiato.

This is the latest enhancement to Target’s drive-up service. Earlier this summer, the retailer added Returns with Drive-Up, allowing shoppers to make a product return free of charge via the app and outside the physical store.

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, with nearly 2,000 locations. PG also named the company as one of its Retailers of the Century.