Dive Brief:
- Greater inventory reliability, store updates and tech enhancements are adding up to improved CX at Target, reflected in customer satisfaction score growth, EVP and COO Lisa Roath said on a Q2 2026 earnings call Wednesday.
- Consistency has become the key theme for the year, according to Roath. The retailer is working to ensure high in-stock rates and maintain an elevated customer experience despite disruption caused by remodels at more than 100 stores.
- “Ultimately, that consistency needs to show up in the experience we create for our guests,” Roath said on the call. “We want every store to deliver on our promise, every interaction with a guest to feel welcoming and helpful, and every product we sell to bring to light a consistently great experience every time. That's what we're striving toward.”
Dive Insight:
Target executives see consistency as one of the essential ingredients for a strong shopping experience, especially during the back-to-school rush.
The retailer prepared for the back-to-school season by moving inventory into place ahead of time to improve product availability at its highest volume stores, according to Roath. As a result, Target has been able to offer reliable experiences during a chaotic time of the year.
“We know we don't win in a season where every school peaks at a different time if we don't have inventory at the right place at the right time and if we aren't providing a great guest experience,” CEO Michael Fiddelke said.
The greater challenge lies in elevating the customer experience while Target revamps its inventory operations and adjusts in-store layouts, according to Fiddelke. The company has been adjusting its center store grocery assortment and replacing nearly three-quarters of its decorative accessories assortment in the home department, among other changes.
“In a testament to the dedication of our team that, even with this volume of change, we're seeing continued progress on inventory reliability and guest satisfaction metrics, which are now reaching levels we haven't seen in many years,” Fiddelke said.
Target has been enhancing its digital experience as well, EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer Cara Sylvester said. Wish list creations are up 50% year over year and conversions on “key back-to-school pages” are up nearly 20%.
Target’s slate of improvements helped drive strong results for the quarter.
Comparable store sales rose 3.8% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, and comparable traffic was up 3.6% year over year, according to an earnings release. Net sales grew 5.3% year over year.
Early results are promising, but there is still a lot of work to be done, according to executives.
Overall reliability metrics are at multi-year highs, which “means more guests are ending their shopping trips with all the products they came to Target to buy — one of the most important ways we're looking to build trust,” Roath said. “But to be clear, even with this progress, we still aren't where we want to be.”
