Target Mission Statement
Target, officially known as Target Corporation, is an American multinational retail chain whose first outlet opened in 1962 as the discount division of Dayton’s department store.
Target now employs more than 400,000 employees around the world, and each of them works to carry out the company’s simple but effective mission: “To help all families discover the joy of everyday life.”
Target considers this mission its purpose and promises to provide a shopping experience that is fun, easy, inspiring, and full of surprises.
This idea of making life more joyful also extends to every business decision the company makes and encourages employees to bring a positive attitude to work each day.
With these points in mind, we’ll devote the rest of the article to analyzing Target’s mission statement in the context of customer experience, partnerships, and employee empowerment.
Customer experienceTarget’s brand promise of “Expect More, Pay Less.” is central to its efforts to create a joyful customer experience for families.
The company provides brand-name products at affordable prices and many of the eCommerce-related services consumers expect.
It also strives to offer an unparalleled diversity of products that include high-end products in addition to everyday essentials.
But there are a few services that differentiate Target from the competition. For one, it started to offer discounts on already discounted products in 2013 when it acquired the digital coupon app Cartwheel.
Members of the service, which is now known as Target Circle, have access to hundreds of deals from their favorite brands and can even receive 5% off for purchases made on their birthday.
Target is also known for its private label debit and credit cards which fall under the RedCard product banner. Consumers have access to perks such as free 2-day shipping, 5% off all purchases, and more time to return unwanted products.
Design partnersTo develop products that bring joy and surprise to the consumer, Target has worked with more than 175 design partners over the past 20 years across home décor, food and beverage, electronics, and beauty.
Some of the more notable partners include Levi Strauss, Tabitha Brown, LEGO, and Victoria Beckham.
The partnership with LEGO in 2021 is worth a brief mention, with almost 300 colorful brick-inspired items available for under $30 sold exclusively at Target.
The partnership reflected shared values of joyful optimism and provided consumers with a curated assortment of lifestyle items that could be worn or used to celebrate the holiday season.
Employee empowermentAs a retail company, Target’s employees are the face of its business and are vital to its success.
Target understands that store employees are as important as the products it sells, and also claims that its senior management “know their stuff and know how to have fun.”
In February 2022, Target announced it would be investing up to $300 million to establish a new starting wage range and expand its employee healthcare scheme.
Recognizing the connection between happy and healthy employees and superb customer experience, chief HR officer Melissa Kremer noted that:
“Our team is at the forefront of our strategy and success, and their energy and resilience keeps us at the forefront of meeting the changing needs of our guests year after year.”
Key takeawaysTarget, officially known as Target Corporation, is an American multinational retail chain whose first outlet opened in 1962 as the discount division of Dayton’s department store.Target’s mission involves a promise to provide a shopping experience that is fun, easy, inspiring, and full of surprises for families. This mission is underpinned by a customer retail experience with various peaks and a diverse product assortment. Strategic partnerships to create unique products add to the allure of Target stores.Equally as important to creating a joyful shopping experience are Target’s employees – particularly those in customer-facing roles.Read Also: How To Write A Mission Statement, Mission Statement Examples
Mission Statement Case Studies
Adidas’ mission is “To be the best sports brand in the world.” Adidas AG is a German multinational initially founded in 1924 by Adolf Dassler who developed spiked running shoes out of his mother’s house. Today, the company is the largest sportswear producer in Europe and the second largest globally behind rival Nike.
Uber’s mission statement is to ignite opportunity by setting the world in motion.
Tesla’s vision is to “create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles,” while its mission is “to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass-market electric cars to market as soon as possible.” Tesla used a transitional business model as its ecosystem grows.
Amazon’s mission statement is to “serve consumers through online and physical stores and focus on selection, price, and convenience.” Amazon’s vision statement is “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.” 
Apple’s mission is “to bring the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services.” And in a manifesto dated 2019 Tim Cook set the vision specified as “We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing.”
Netflix’s core mission, strategy, and vision are that of “improving its members’ experience by expanding the streaming content with a focus on a programming mix of content that delights members and attracts new members.”
Coca-Cola’s Purpose is to “refresh the world. make a difference.” Its vision and mission are to “craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love, to refresh them in body & spirit. And done in ways that create a more sustainable business and better-shared future that makes a difference in people’s lives, communities, and our planet.”
Starbucks highlights its mission as “to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” And its vision is to “treat people like family, and they will be loyal and give their all.” 
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. With over $110 billion in revenues in 2018, Office Products and Windows are still the main products. Yet the company also operates in Gaming (Xbox), Search Advertising (Bing), Hardware, LinkedIn, Cloud, and more.
Walmart’smission can be summarized as “helping people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores and through eCommerce.” While its vision is to “make every day easier for busy families.” Walmart defines “busy families” as the bull’s eye of its business strategy.
Nike vision is “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” While its mission statement is to “do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team and by making a positive impact in communities where we live and work.”
Google mission statement is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Its vision statement is to “provide an important service to the world-instantly delivering relevant information on virtually any topic.” In 2019, Sundar Pichai emphasized a renewed mission to allow people “to get things done!”The post Target Mission Statement appeared first on FourWeekMBA.
