Target took a major step toward improving its stores’ customer experience - and now employees will be graded on their friendliness.
The company will include customer engagement in its assessment of employees’ job performance, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. The move is part of the company’s $6 billion push under new CEO Michael Fiddelke to improve sales.
Fiddelke, who took over as CEO in February, said in a statement about his hiring that “elevating the guest experience by making every store visit and digital interaction easier, more inspiring and more welcoming” is one of the company’s four top priorities.
Target did not give a timeline for the metric’s new rollout, but sources close to the matter told Bloomberg that it will “roll out the assessment broadly across the chain,” which includes more than 2,000 U.S. stores.
The new customer engagement metric is one of several changes the company has made as part of its push to elevate the guest experience.
In November, the company announced its new “10-4” policy for employee-customer interactions.
Whenever a guest is within ten feet of a Target team member, the staffer should make wave, greet or make eye contact with them. When the guest is within four feet of a staffer, the employee should ask about the customer’s day or ask them if they need help with anything.
The company is making improvements to its online customer experience, too.
In November, Target announced customers could use ChatGPT within the Target app to “purchase multiple items in a single transaction, shop fresh food products” and select shipping options. Personalized recommendations are also part of the feature.
Target’s renewed focus on the customer experience and hiring Fiddelke seems to be working.
After four consecutive quarters of falling same-store sales figures, the company posted a 5.6 percent increase through the first three months of 2026. The 5.6 percent jump was the largest since early 2022.
The Independent contacted Target for comment about whether customer engagement will be tied to employee bonuses or pay increases.
Target is one of several retailers making customer service moves. Home Depot launched AI-powered phone agents in April, claiming the new service could understand a customer’s reason for calling in 10 seconds.
Some 52 percent of retail companies are prioritizing customer focus in 2026, making it the second most-popular company priority next to growth and market expansion, according to a January analysis from Deloitte.
And while price plays a critical role in where today’s cost-conscious consumer shops, a store’s online and in-store experiences have a heavy impact on that decision.
“Our research shows that as much as 40 percent of consumer perceptions of a brand’s value stems from factors other than price.,” Deloitte wrote. “Depending on the subsector, factors such as quality, customer service, ease of checkout, loyalty programs, and even employee attitudes can sway consumers.”
