MINNEAPOLIS — In-store traffic at Target has been on an upswing since late January – suggesting the retailer may be back in growth mode, according to Placer.ai.
Weekly visits from Feb. 2 to March 22 rose 6.6% to 10.3% year over year, and traffic made YOY gains in all but the first two weeks of the period from January through March, the foot traffic analytics firm reported in a recent report about Target’s turnaround plan.
Image courtesy of Placer.ai
This year’s spring Circle Days event from March 25-27 goosed traffic above the average for a weekday, with visits up 6.8% on the 25th, up 4.5% on the 26th and up 5.8% on the 27th.
“Encouraging traffic trends – including stronger performance during Circle Days despite already elevated baseline visits – point to renewed shopper engagement,” Placer.ai commented. “If Target can sustain this momentum beyond promotional periods, it appears well-positioned for stabilization and modest growth in 2026.”
Target launched a slew of initiatives during the first three months of 2026 to lure shoppers into stores, including the new Jeremiah Brent Home collection in January, an expanded partnership with Levi’s in February and its spring capsule collection with Roller Rabbit in March. And on March 11, the retailer announced it was lowering prices by 5% to 20% on more than 3,000 discretionary items in its apparel, home, baby essentials, food and beverages departments.
Photo courtesy of Target
Placer.ai also sees strong potential for Target’s recently announced “Baby Boutique” concept, which launched online on March 15th and is expected to roll out to 200 locations this year.
“The baby category, in particular, has presented a white space opportunity for retailers across the country since the closure of buybuy Baby in 2023,” Placer.ai noted. “Target’s push could propel it into the national leader role for the category and also help the brand to revitalize itself after a challenging 2025 performance.”
In a report released earlier this week about Target’s baby push, Placer.ai pointed out similarities between Target’s shopper profile and the buybuy Baby base during its years of operation.
“Specifically, the share of visits by Wealthy Suburban Families, Near Urban Diverse Families and Ultra Wealthy Families is all very closely aligned between the two chains, indicating that Target’s strategy could easily entrench itself with today’s consumer,” the report concluded.
