India is our second headquarters, says U.S. general merchandise retailer Target

Target Corporation considers India its second headquarters, with 5,000 team members collaborating on various capabilities for global growth.

Target Corporation, Minnesota-based general merchandise retailer, said India is its second headquarters as every part of its U.S business is already represented at Target in India (TII).

‘’We consider ourselves the second headquarters of Target and are unique as a Global Capability Centre in that every part of Target’s U.S business is represented here at TII,’‘ Andrea Zimmerman, SVP and President, Target in India told The Hindu.

She said, approximately 5,000 team members (employees) in India work across a wide range of capabilities that include marketing, merchandising, properties, digital, data sciences, finance, supply chain, technology and more. ‘‘Our teams are collaborating across geographies, solving problems, and impacting our strategy together,’‘ she said.

On India-U.S. collaborations of Target teams, she explained that TII has been operating in India for close to 20 years and it has been playing an important role in Target’s strategy and global roadmap for growth. It opened an office in Bengaluru in 2005 with 300 team members who then primarily focused on building skills and talent in technology.

‘’TII has a strong connection to our global headquarters. That means, ideas and innovations flow seamlessly across continents. We work in collaboration to build solutions that enhance the experience for our guests (customers), team members and vendors,’‘ she added.

According to her, Target Circle, the retailer’s one of the biggest loyalty programmes in the U.S. with more than 100 million members, was reintroduced earlier this year with enhanced features with teams in India contributing to key elements including the user interface, personalised offers, and marketing initiatives.

Also, a Guest Data Platform, built in partnership with teams in India by leveraging data science, made identifying comprehensive shopping patterns and guest behaviour a lot easier. ‘‘This holistic insight enables us to design personalised experiences, whether in-store, online, or via our app,’‘ she added.