Target has announced a strategic partnership with Shopify to expand its third-party marketplace, Target Plus, by incorporating a selection of Shopify’s top merchants and their products. This collaboration, revealed in a Monday press release, aims to enrich Target’s product offerings both online and potentially in physical stores in the near future.

Through the use of Shopify’s Marketplace Connect app, merchants can apply to feature their products on the Target Plus platform, which currently boasts over 2 million products from more than 1,200 brands across various categories, including apparel and sporting goods. This curated marketplace, launched in 2019, already hosts notable brands like Crocs and Timberland and is set to grow further with this new influx of Shopify sellers.

Target’s Chief Digital and Product Officer, Prat Vemana, emphasized that Target Plus is focused not just on volume but on providing high-quality, well-sourced products. The expansion through Shopify allows Target to broaden its array of offerings without the need for additional physical inventory, maintaining perks such as free shipping on orders over $35 and discounts for Target Circle Cardholders.

Cara Sylvester, Target’s Chief Guest Experience Officer, highlighted the benefit for consumers: a broader range of carefully selected and affordable products consistent with Target’s well-regarded brand mix. For Shopify merchants, this partnership represents a significant opportunity to reach a wider audience and catalyze growth, according to Shopify President Harley Finkelstein.

This move comes as part of a broader trend among major retailers like Macy’s and Nordstrom, who have developed their own marketplaces as a strategy to diversify their product lines. Despite a dip in overall sales, Target’s e-commerce sector is showing signs of recovery, with the first increase in online sales noted in over a year, propelled by the retailer’s enhanced pick-up and delivery services.