How to Choose the Right Target Plus Partner: A Comprehensive Guide

Your success as a Target Plus (Target+) vendor is heavily influenced by which Target Plus integration partner you choose. The right integration partner can maximize your success and help you make the most of being an exclusive Target Plus vendor. On the other hand, choosing the wrong partner can lead to wasted time, damage your brand’s reputation, delay market launch by weeks or even months, and cause you to miss critical sales opportunities. This guide will dive into the types of integration partners, their pros and cons, and how to pick the one that’s right for you. 

TL;DR Target Plus is an invite-only program that allows third-party retailers to sell on Target.com. Target’s online platform is a huge ecommerce destination both for its very active, loyal customer base along with potential new shoppers. In 2023, Target.com registered 164.9 million visits in just one month!

What makes selling on Target Plus so enticing? 

• Exclusivity means limited competition
• Simple seller fees and no hidden charges
• Sellers average millions in sales revenue
• Increased brand awareness 
• Marketplace expansion

Target hand-picks their vendors to ensure their customers are offered high-quality products from top-tier sellers. Before tossing their hat into the ring of Target Plus’s screening and approval process, hopeful vendors must first meet the following requirements:

• Have established a physical presence (business & bank account) in the U.S.
• Price Target Plus items at same the level as the vendor’s other ecommerce marketplace channels
• Ship out all Target Plus marketplace orders within 24 hours and with transit time no longer than 5 days
• Only ship Target Plus orders within the U.S.

It’s clear that vendors on Target Plus are some of the best, and that means they require a equally high-caliber integration partner. Target Plus has five partner options: GoFlow, Acenda, Feedonomics, Zentail, and Rithum. Luckily, once you’re ready to pick your integration partner, the hardest part is over  – congrats on getting into Target Plus! 

But First, Why Cheaper Isn’t Always Better

Before we dive into each of Target Plus’s five integration partners, it’s important to discuss cost. It’s easy to be enticed by a lower price tag, especially when you’re uncertain about the value of your partnership with Target Plus. However, cheaper isn’t always better, especially considering the immense potential of being a vendor on Target Plus. Many sellers hesitate to invest in a partner, even if that partner can help them maximize their time on Target Plus. Here are some key reasons why opting for the cheapest option might not be the best choice:

• Longer Onboarding Times: Extended onboarding to Target Plus can delay your profits, strain your relationship with Target, and potentially result in a failed launch, leading to the termination of the opportunity altogether.
• Order Defect Rate: Partners offering cheaper pricing may not accurately track defective orders, leading to a higher order defect rate. A high defect rate can severely damage your reputation and increase the likelihood of losing your relationship with Target Plus.
• Lack of Visibility Into Listing Status: Choosing cheaper Target Plus partners often means sacrificing crucial visibility into your listing status. Without transparency, you won’t know which products are live on Target.com. There’s nothing worse than assuming your listings are good to go, only to find out (the hard way) that sales are down because customers can’t purchase your products. Adequate visibility is essential for real-time accuracy, quick issue resolution, and making data-driven decisions. Without it, you risk fewer listings published, inaccuracies, delays, and missed chances to optimize your Target Plus performance.
• Limited Control: Cheaper tools often lack the functionality for sellers to make changes independently and provide insufficient control over your data. Instead, you may have to email your partner to make adjustments, removing your control over the process, slowing you down, and preventing you from making decisions and changes on your own time.  

At first, a cheaper tool might seem like the best choice. You may be hesitant to invest heavily in a partner when the profitability of Target Plus for your company is still uncertain. Being invited to list your products on Target Plus and build a relationship with Target is a rare and valuable opportunity for sellers. While opting for the cheapest option might appear to be the safest choice, it could jeopardize your relationship with Target. To maximize your partnership and the revenue potential from being on Target Plus, it’s wise to bypass the cheaper options and choose a tool that meets your current needs while also supporting your future growth. Use our evaluation checklist below to ensure you make the best decision for you. 

What Are the 3 Main Categories of Target Plus Integration Partners?

There are three types of established integration partners you can choose to work with when you become a Target Plus seller:

• Budget solutions
• Feed management solutions
• Growth solutions

These partners help you execute Target Plus best practices and manage your marketplace presence. Each of these categories caters to specific seller needs. Below are the pros and cons of each category and its related Target Plus Integration partners. 

Budget Solutions

Budget solutions live up to their name – they are often on the cheaper side and cater more to small sellers, those who are hesitant to invest in a partner, or those uncertain of the value of Target Plus. While being more affordable, budget solutions usually are less comprehensive, lack key features and capabilities, and don’t have strong dedicated customer support. 

• Main Players: GoFlow & Acenda
• Best for: Sellers who are skeptical that they can profit from a Target Plus partnership and want to prove its worth in the cheapest way possible. 

Feed Management Solutions

Feed management solutions are typically robust managed services that offer hands-on, manual support for sellers who prefer a highly involved partner. In this model, the service is almost entirely managed by the integration partner. While solutions like Feedonomics can be effective for outsourcing work and freeing up internal resources, they often lack flexibility and scalability to meet a seller’s growing needs. 

Additionally, the process can be extremely manual, requiring constant communication and frequent emails to make changes, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming.These solutions are usually chosen by larger businesses willing to pay a high price to connect incompatible systems and listing data.

• Main Player: Feedonomics
• Best for: Sellers who need extensive support and prefer a partner to manage the majority of tasks, even if it means dealing with inflexibility and manual processes. 

Growth Solutions

Growth solutions empower their customers and scale to their unique needs, making them a valuable partner for sellers of all sizes. Growth solutions provide flexibility and usually integrate with customers’ existing toolstack. 

• Main Players: Zentail & Rithum 
• Best for: E-commerce sellers with a growth mindset who want to take control of their listings and maximize their sales and brand exposure.

How to Evaluate A Target Plus Partner: A Checklist

Choosing your Target Plus partner is no simple decision. To make your process simpler, use the following checklist of things to consider when evaluating the five partners above. For an even deeper dive into how to evaluate your potential Target Plus Partner, download our comprehensive checklist here.

✔️ Onboarding Time

• How quickly can you get up and running on the Target Plus?
• Does the tool provide resources or support to minimize onboarding time?

✔️ Revenue Generation 

• Does the tool offer features that help maximize your sales and revenue in Target Plus?
• Are there analytics or insights provided to help optimize your product listings and pricing?

✔️ Change Management

• How does the tool handle the frequent taxonomy changes (which can appear on a day-to-day basis) made by Target Plus?
• Is there an automated system in place to manage and implement changes efficiently?
• Does this tool require manual up-front configuration to enable mapping of listing data?
• Does the tool keep you informed and ahead of any upcoming changes from Target Plus?

✔️ Control

• How much control do you have over your own listings within the platform?
• Can you make changes independently without needing to communicate via email for every adjustment?
• Is the interface user-friendly and intuitive, allowing for easy self-management?

✔️ Visibility

• How much visibility do you have into the status of your listings?
• Are there real-time updates and comprehensive reporting features to keep you informed?

Additional Considerations

✔️ Pricing

• What is the total cost of ownership, including initial purchase, ongoing maintenance, and any additional fees?
• Are there any hidden costs or additional charges for advanced features or modules?

✔️ Scalability

• Can the software handle increased data volume as your business grows?
• What options are available for scaling the software, and how easy is it to upgrade or expand?

✔️ Customer Support

• What types of customer support are offered (e.g., 24/7 support, live chat, phone support)?
• How responsive and helpful is the customer support team based on user reviews or testimonials?

Your Target Plus integration partner can have a significant impact on the success of your business on Target Plus. The right partner should maximize your success as an exclusive Target Plus vendor. Use the checklist above to ensure you make the best decision for your current and future needs. And remember, consider the potential long-term needs of your business when choosing your Target Plus partner.

Elevate Your Business by Applying Now to Become a Target Plus Vendor 

Target prefers that their established partners, such as Zentail, submit your company for review to start the process. Choose Zentail as your Target Plus vendor for fast, efficient support and growth. Benefit from direct access to the Target Plus team, white glove onboarding, ultra-fast product listing, and automated change management. Expand easily and save over 100 hours per month with Zentail’s comprehensive, data-driven approach.

Book a meeting with a member of the Zentail team to help you chart your journey to success with Target Plus.

Interested in becoming a Target Plus seller? Schedule a session with the Zentail team to explore the benefits of joining Target Plus, strategies for maximizing your sales, and a comprehensive walkthrough of the application process.

Applying through Zentail greatly increases your chance of success, as Target Plus prioritizes applications submitted via an integration partner.

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The data and information for each of the Target Plus Integration partners was gathered through extensive research conducted via interviews with prospective and current Target Plus sellers.