Happy Hour Ahead: Target Adds Adult Beverages for Pickup/Drive Up

After successful pilots in California, Florida and South Dakota last year, Target is expanding online ordering of adult beverages for same-day pickup or delivery.

On the same day the Minneapolis-based retailer officially dropped its mask requirement for vaccinated shoppers and team members, Target also announced that beer, wine, spirits, hard seltzers and other alcohol offerings (cocktail popsicles, anyone?) will be available via in-store order pickup and Drive Up at more than 1,200 stores across 29 states and via Shipt same-delivery from more than 600 stores by the end of the month.

Shoppers picking up an adult beverage order will enter their birthdate before checking out online and will have to show proof of age to a Target team member when they arrive. Shipt service will be available in select locations where local laws permit alcohol delivery.

Adult beverages are one of the fastest-growing categories in Target's food and beverage business, Target Chief Food and Beverage Officer Rick Gomez said in a news release. Markets where online ordering of adult beverages was trialed last year saw more than 450% digital growth for the category, according to the retailer.

"As we continue to invest in the products and experiences our guests love, making our wine, beer and spirits selection available for pickup and delivery is a natural next step, and we’re proud our team moved so quickly to bring this enhanced service to hundreds of additional stores nationwide," Gomez said. 

Target in March reported that online comp sales were up 118% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 vs. the year-ago period. An expanded assortment of fresh, refrigerated and frozen items available for pickup helped drive significant growth in online sales for the quarter, including 500% growth in Drive Up sales, according to the company. Target Chief Financial Officer Michael Fiddelke said at the time that customers who try Drive Up curbside service spend about 30% more than they did previously.

Target also used the adult beverages announcement to tout exclusive and upcoming new adult beverage offerings, including SunPop wines and frozen cocktail popsicles and Mystic Reef Hard Seltzer lemonades.