The program offers shoppers 1% back on every purchase, a birthday reward and the ability to vote on Target’s local community-giving initiatives.

Target Corp. on Oct. 6 will launch Target Circle—the loyalty program it began testing more than a year and a half ago—nationwide, the retailer announced on Monday.

The program offers online and offline shoppers 1% back on every purchase, a birthday reward and the ability to vote on Target’s local community-giving initiatives. The retailer also is weaving its Cartwheel savings tool into the program and renaming those Cartwheel discounts “Target Circle offers.” The move aims to tie together Target’s various discount and incentives under the Target Circle banner, which will be available to consumers via the Target mobile app, email and when the member visits Target.com.A screenshot of a phone showing the Target Circle offers page

“We’re always looking for ways to create even easier, more rewarding shopping experiences that give them another reason to choose Target,” says Rick Gomez, executive vice president and chief marketing and digital officer at Target, No. 16 in the Internet Retailer 2019 Top 500.

Since Target began testing Target Circle in March 2018, the retailer renamed the program from Target Red and eliminated perks such as a 50% discount on a first-year membership for same-day delivery with Shipt, as well as free next-day delivery with Target Restock.

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“We worked directly with guests to develop Target Circle, and the program includes the benefits and perks they told us were most important to them, from earning on every trip to having the opportunity to help Target make a positive impact in their local communities,” Gomez says.

Target aims for Target Circle to complement the retailer’s RedCard program by offering all guests perks and deals without the need for them to acquire a new credit or debit card. Target will automatically enroll consumers who have a Target.com, Cartwheel or Target RedCard account into Target Circle. New guests can sign up by creating a Target.com account, applying for and using a RedCard, or providing their phone number in a Target store. The program—which has been active in six areas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas region, Phoenix and Denver—already has more than 2 million members, Target says.

Target Circle’s launch will mean that nearly a quarter, 244, of Internet Retailer 2019 Top 1000 merchants offer a loyalty program, including several that have recently rolled out, or revamped, their programs.

For example, apparel retailer J. Crew (No. 53) in August 2018 added free shipping with no purchase threshold to its free loyalty program. And cosmetics retailer Sephora’s Beauty Insider loyalty program updated its program in January by rolling out more tiers to its birthday rewards to make it more personalized for every shopper. Sephora is owned by LVMH, which is No. 131.

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