MINNEAPOLIS, USA — Target Corporation has announced that guests nationwide will be able to add their favorite Starbucks menu item to a Drive Up order and have it delivered to their car at stores offering the retailer’s free Drive Up service. The service is beginning its chainwide rollout this summer and is slated to be available at all the 1,700-plus stores with Starbucks Cafés and Drive Up service by October.
“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, chief stores officer, Target. “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. This one-of-a-kind service — available only at Target — is the latest example of how we’re innovating every day to meet the needs of our guests.”
Following a successful pilot, the nationwide rollout of Drive Up with Starbucks gives guests everywhere the ability to enjoy handcrafted beverages or food while they pick up their Drive Up order. Target is the first retailer to offer this service at this scale. Drive Up with Starbucks highlights Target’s continued investment in its same-day shopping experience, delivering what guests need and crave quickly and easily.
Adding a Starbucks purchase to be delivered with a Drive Up order is simple:
- After a guest places a Drive Up order at a participating Target store and receives notification that it’s ready to pick up, they will indicate they are on the way in the Target app.
- The guest will then receive a prompt in the app to place a beverage or food order from the Starbucks menu. They make their Starbucks selection, click “Add for Drive Up” and pay for the order.
- The guest parks in the Drive Up parking area and taps “I’m here” in the Target app. A Target team member then delivers the freshly prepared Starbucks order — along with the guest’s Drive Up purchase — to their car for free.
The Drive Up with Starbucks service builds upon Target’s more than 20-year partnership with Starbucks, which today has more than 1,700 Cafés in Target stores across the country.
“Starbucks has a long history of adapting and innovating how we serve our customers, meeting them where they are,” said Mark Ring, senior vice president, U.S. Licensed Stores, Starbucks Canada and Siren Retail. “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.”
Investing in the Target guest experience
The ability to add a Starbucks menu item to a Drive Up order was Target guests’ most-requested feature. The company worked with Starbucks in the development of the experience and then piloted the Drive Up with Starbucks service in 2022 and 2023 with the help of team members at select stores. Throughout the pilot phase, Target’s store teams tested the process to make sure it was efficient and easy for team members — and enjoyable for guests. True to its test-and-learn approach, Target continues to fine-tune the experience.
The Drive Up with Starbucks national rollout comes on the heels of another recent enhancement to the Drive Up service: the ability to make a product return free of charge. Returns with Drive Up launched at Target stores across the U.S. this summer.
