Target same-day delivery surges in Q4, drives digital sales

A more than 30% jump in same-day delivery in Target’s fourth quarter means more work on the store floor, not just more online sales. For team members handling Drive Up, in-store pickup and rapid delivery orders, the surge points to heavier picking pressure, tighter pace expectations and a bigger share of each shift tied to fulfillment inside the building.

Target said the growth came through Target Circle 360, its paid same-day delivery service, as the retailer leaned on its store network to move orders faster and keep shipping distances short. That store-as-hub model has helped Target lower supply chain costs, but it also shifts more of the e-commerce load onto store teams that must pull items, stage orders and keep traffic moving while serving walk-in shoppers.

The scale of that shift is already large. Target said same-day fulfillment services account for two-thirds of its digital sales, and the company said its same-day fulfillment ecosystem generated more than $14 billion in fiscal 2025 sales. In March, Target said the same-day system includes Drive Up, in-store pickup and rapid delivery through Target Circle 360, and it outlined plans to expand next-day brown-box delivery into 20 new metro areas in spring 2026.

For workers, the key question is whether the efficiency gains are flowing back into staffing, scheduling and tools on the sales floor. Target’s leadership said the company is positioning itself for profitable growth in 2026 and beyond, but the operational math still runs through store teams that have to absorb the orders. If demand keeps rising, the pressure will fall on fulfillment staffing, handoff speed and how much time leaders can give to the back room versus the front of the store.

The fourth-quarter gain also builds on last year’s momentum. In fourth-quarter 2024, Target said same-day delivery powered by Target Circle 360 grew more than 25% year over year, while digital comparable sales rose 8.7%. This year’s bigger increase suggests the channel is not a one-quarter spike but a deeper change in how Target sells and serves customers.

Target’s store-based model has clearly become central to the company’s digital strategy. The question now is whether the lower costs tied to that model will show up where team members feel it most: more predictable schedules, enough hours to handle the volume and better tools to keep same-day orders moving without burning out the people doing the picking.