Getting Into Target
What it takes to get a product into Target, from RangeMe and the supplier intake form to Target Plus and Forward Founders, plus the margins and the real step-by-step.
Target is one of the largest retailers in the United States, with roughly 2,000 stores nationwide and a reputation for “cheap chic” that has made it a launchpad for consumer brands. Getting a product into Target means access to enormous volume and mainstream credibility, and unlike a beauty-specialty retailer like Ulta or Sephora, Target spans nearly every category, from food and household to beauty, apparel, and home.
The reason Target matters for a growing brand is scale and signal. A national Target launch puts a product in front of tens of millions of shoppers and tells the market the brand is real. The trade-off is that Target is a mass retailer with demanding terms, so the margins and the operational bar are steep.
Target has also built formal on-ramps for smaller and diverse founders, Target Plus and the Forward Founders program, which make it more approachable than its size suggests.
At a glance:
| Stores | ~2,000 (all US) |
| Ownership | Public (NYSE: TGT), first Target store 1962 |
| Categories | Food, household, beauty, apparel, home, and more |
| How Target buys | Keystone (~50% of retail), plus heavy trade spend |
| Official submission | RangeMe and Target’s supplier intake form |
| Online marketplace | Target Plus (invitation-only) |
| Program for new founders | Target Forward Founders |
How the Process Actually Works
Target has a public submission process, but a submission is a screening step, not a guarantee. Placement comes down to a category buyer deciding your product fills a need and can scale.
1. A category buyer decides. Every category at Target has a buying team. Getting in means getting the right buyer’s attention, whether through Target’s submission channels, one of its programs, or a broker relationship.
2. Target screens for scale and standards. Target wants brands that can supply at national scale with consistent quality, and it holds vendors to its Standards of Vendor Engagement (ethical sourcing, compliance, and operational requirements). A brand that cannot reliably produce and ship at Target volume is not ready.
3. You prove demand. Existing DTC sales, retail traction elsewhere, a social following, and press are the evidence Target uses to predict sell-through. Target wants brands people already want.
4. You negotiate terms. Target buys at keystone, roughly 50% of retail, and mass retailers are known for demanding vendor-funded costs on top: promotional funding, markdown money, and chargebacks for compliance failures. Your margins have to absorb all of it.
5. You launch, often as a test. New brands rarely start in all 2,000 stores. A common path is Target.com or a subset of stores, expanding if the product sells through.
How to Actually Get In, Step by Step
There is no guarantee, but there is a real path, and it starts well before you pitch a buyer.
Step 1: Get retail-ready before you pitch anyone. Have these in hand first:
- A line sheet: every product with wholesale and retail prices, minimum order quantities, and case packs, on one clean document.
- A sell sheet: a one-page pitch for a hero product, with the story, the proof (sales, ratings, press), and the gap it fills.
- Samples plus retail-ready packaging with barcodes and compliant labeling.
- Your sales data: DTC revenue, repeat-purchase rate, reviews, and any viral moment.
- Margins that survive trade spend, worked out in advance so a Target deal does not lose money.
Step 2: Submit through RangeMe and Target’s intake form. Target buyers use RangeMe for product discovery, so a complete RangeMe profile is the standard front door. Target also runs its own supplier intake form, where you tell Target about your business and products, and its internal teams assess fit, including whether you belong in a Target Accelerators program. Neither guarantees placement, but together they are the legitimate way in.
Step 3: Consider Target Plus, the invite-only marketplace. Target Plus is Target’s curated third-party marketplace on Target.com. Unlike Amazon or Walmart’s open platforms, it is invitation-only, and selected brands sell online with access to Target’s Circle loyalty program and Roundel ad network. It is a lower-inventory way to reach Target shoppers online and prove demand before pursuing shelves, though you have to be invited and meet Target’s operational standards.
Step 4: Apply to Target Forward Founders if you qualify. Forward Founders, part of Target Accelerators, is built for early-stage consumer-packaged-goods businesses, with a focus on diverse and emerging entrepreneurs. Running since 2021, it provides retail education, mentorship from Target leaders, and access to tools and resources, with no equity taken. It is designed to teach founders how Target and retail actually work and to build a relationship with the company.
Step 5: Build buyer relationships directly. A retail broker who already places brands at Target can shortcut the buyer introduction, usually for a percentage of wholesale. Trade shows are where buyers scout in person. And a warm introduction to the right category buyer still beats a cold submission.
A note for beauty brands: Target runs Ulta Beauty at Target shop-in-shops in hundreds of its stores, so a beauty brand’s path to Target shoppers can also run through Ulta.
A realistic sequence: get retail-ready, build proof selling direct, complete RangeMe and the intake form, pursue Target Plus if invited, apply to Forward Founders if eligible, and work brokers in parallel. From first submission to shelves is commonly a year or more, so start early.
What Target Looks For
Scale you can actually supply. Target’s biggest filter is whether a brand can produce and ship reliably at national volume. Many small brands are not ready, and a stockout at Target damages the relationship.
A gap in the assortment. Target wants products that reach a customer or price point its current lineup does not, not another version of what already sells.
Proven demand. Existing sales, a following, and press are how Target predicts a brand will sell on its shelves.
Values and compliance. Target holds vendors to its Standards of Vendor Engagement covering ethical sourcing and operations, and it markets heavily around owned-and-founded and sustainability attributes, so a clear brand story helps.
Retail-ready everything. Barcodes, compliant labeling, case packs, and packaging built for a mass-retail shelf are table stakes.
The Economics
Target’s margin model is the standard keystone, with the demanding trade terms mass retailers are known for:
| Example | |
|---|---|
| Your product retails for | $20 |
| Target buys at keystone (~50%) | You receive ~$10 |
| Your cost to manufacture | Varies by category |
| Then subtract | Promotional funding, markdown money, chargebacks |
| Effective take | Meaningfully below the wholesale price |
The trade-off is volume and reach. A national Target program moves far more units than a brand could sell direct, but at a fraction of the per-unit margin, and mass retailers push more vendor-funded costs than beauty-specialty stores do. Target works when the volume more than compensates for the margin compression, and when the brand priced for it from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I submit my product to Target?
Target buyers use RangeMe for product discovery, so a complete RangeMe profile is the standard route. Target also has its own supplier intake form, where its internal teams review your business and assess fit, including for Target Accelerators programs. Neither guarantees placement, but together they are the official way in.
What is Target Plus?
Target Plus is Target’s invitation-only online marketplace on Target.com. Unlike Amazon’s or Walmart’s open platforms, it is curated, and only selected brands are invited to sell, with access to Target’s loyalty and advertising tools. It is a lower-inventory way to reach Target shoppers online and prove demand.
What is Target Forward Founders?
Forward Founders is a Target Accelerators program for early-stage consumer-packaged-goods businesses, with a focus on diverse and emerging entrepreneurs. It provides retail education, mentorship, and resources with no equity taken, and it is designed to teach founders how to work with Target.
How much of the price does Target take?
Target buys at keystone, roughly 50% of the retail price. On top of that, mass retailers are known for demanding vendor-funded costs like promotional and markdown funding and compliance chargebacks, which lower the effective take further. Brands have to price for all of it from the start.
Is it easier to get into Target or Ulta?
They serve different goals. Ulta is beauty-specialty with a beauty-focused audience and emerging-brand programs. Target is mass, with far broader categories, enormous volume, and its own on-ramps in Target Plus and Forward Founders. For a beauty brand specifically, Ulta is often the more natural first specialty step, while Target is the mass-market stage.
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Target Corporation”. Store count, history, and public ownership.
- Target, “About”. Store footprint and company overview.
- RangeMe, “Become a Supplier for Target”. Confirmation that Target buyers use RangeMe for product discovery.
- Target, “Supplier Intake Form”. Target’s own submission process and how it routes brands, including to Target Accelerators.
- Target Accelerators, “Forward Founders”. Program purpose, focus on early-stage and diverse CPG founders, and what it provides.
- Target, “Supporting Small Businesses” fact sheet. Forward Founders history since 2021 and its scope.
- Forbes, “Target Plus Dials Up The Plus”. Target Plus as an invitation-only, curated marketplace.