Target is one of many popular, up-and-coming online marketplaces brands and advertisers have their eyes on. And the opportunity is there for early adopters to capitalize upon. In fact, Target is expected to grow its e-commerce sales by more than 20% this year alone, according to eMarketer. Over the last several years, Target has led its evolution by focusing on merchandising, online delivery, and the need for curbside pickup. At Marketplace Strategy, our Target clients are optimistic about the channel’s potential and leaning into the power of content and creative efforts. In this blog post, we go into detail about our learnings and provide strategic considerations to help inform your strategy.
Content Best Practices for Target
As alluded to, Target’s marketplace, Target Plus, is relatively new and we expect it to evolve and change over time. And, with any new marketplace, it’s wise to pay close attention to the content and creative of its private label products. This can offer a general sense of what’s allowed on the channel and what’s most effective. That being said, there are several best practices we’ve identified and list below:
- Product titles should be no longer than 150 characters
- The ‘highlights’ section should include no more than eight bullet points
- Product descriptions have a 4,000 character limit
In addition to the above, we have found three to five sentences to be a sweet spot for product descriptions. They must include language that’s exclusive to Target and incorporate keywords in a natural way. When it comes to bullets, we suggest using a similar character count for each to maximize white space and improve readability. Bullet points on Target are a great opportunity to preemptively answer a shopper's questions and convince them to purchase your product.
Creative Best Practices for Target
From a creative perspective, it's most important to note, accessibility is vital. All images used within a product detail page must be accessible. In part, this means any images with text beyond what's written on a product's packaging are prohibited.
Here are a few considerations when creating imagery for your product's galleries on Target:
- Image dimensions must be 1,000 x 1,000 px or 5,000 x 5,000 px
- There's a minimum of a 300 DPI
- File types allowed are JPG, PNG, TIF, or PSD
- RGB is required, CMYK will be rejected
In addition to the above guidelines, the primary image in a product's library must clearly show the product on a white background. From there, brands can choose up to 15 images that showcase specific features or capabilities of the item.
Beyond images, video is a great opportunity for brands selling on Target. The channel allows more than six videos to be used on a single listing. In fact, we have used video to incorporate messaging that is otherwise not possible through a lifestyle or typographic image. Then, enhanced content can be found below the fold on Target's product listings. For now, enhanced content for Target is managed through either Salisfy or Syndigo. Finally, like most other marketplaces, there's a comparison chart and similar modules to A+ pages.
A Bit More About Target Plus
If your brand has not yet begun selling on Target, there's much to be aware of before getting started. First, Target Plus is Target's third-party marketplace, and it's available to brands on an invitation-only basis. In our experience, Target only considers and approves well-established brands to sell on its channel.
But, bringing it back to content and creative, one reason Target Plus is attractive is because of its option to create a branded storefront. Similar to Amazon Stores, brands can create their own site within Target's platform to engage with shoppers and drive sales.
Final Thoughts
So far, we have found some creative and content tactics hold more weight than others on Target. For example, the number of images used and the number of keywords used in a product title can help a product rank well in the search results. And, on the other hand, reviews, ratings, and the number of characters used in a product title don't affect rankability as much as they do on other marketplaces. We look forward to evolving with our clients on Target's marketplace and leveraging learnings to drive results.
If you could use the support of a strategic partner, schedule a free consultation. And, as always, we’re here to answer any questions about your efforts. Finally, should you be interested in learning more about our clients’ results, explore these case studies on our website.