Target Testing New Loyalty Program Within Cartwheel App

Users of Target's wildly popular Cartwheel app are getting a few new loyalty perks. The Consumerist reports that starting this month, Target is testing new rewards features within the Cartwheel app. Guests in pilot markets — Denver, Houston, St. Louis and San Diego — will receive points for nearly every dollar spent at Target. Once a customer reaches 5,000 points, they receive options for free gifts such as sunglasses, free C9 athletic apparel, free earbuds and more.

Total Retail's Take: With these new loyalty perks, Target figures to further increase engagement amongst its millennial customers, who are most likely to use the Cartwheel app. However, I hope to see more personalization in the use of the loyalty points. Over 27 million customers have signed up for the Cartwheel app, and personalizing the experience for those customers will be key to Target winning their long-term loyalty. We'll have to wait and see how the new program performs in the pilot markets before learning if Target will take it nationwide.