Target had a lot of problems a couple of years ago, with hackers get into the accounts of millions of shoppers. It received a lot of negative press; and for a while, Target was distrusted by some of its customers. Since then, Target has enhanced its security measures, beefed up its Web site, and freshened up its merchandise selection.

Target did seem to grasp the basis of omnichannel retailing from the consumers’ perspective: merchandise available anywhere and any time. That’s why one recent decision seems to be counterproductive. Was the following customer service option a failure or did Target fail to market it properly and have a lack of commitment? It never made it out of testing.

As noted earlier this month by BI Intelligence:

“Target is officially shutting down its curbside pickup program after running a pilot program, reports Consumerist. The test run launched in October 2014 in a partnership with Curbside in six metropolitan areas across the United States. Curbside is a third-party startup that partners with retailers to provide pickup at select locations.”

“The service lets shoppers place orders online, and a Curbside employee will have the order ready for pickup in front of the store and load it into the shopper’s car for them. Target’s program will officially shut down on June 15. Customers will still be able to pick up items they order online at their local Target store, but will no longer be able to retrieve them without leaving their car.”

“This news comes at a time when curbside pickup is growing in popularity among other retailers, including Target competitors. In April, Walmart announced the expansion of its curbside grocery pickup service to a number of new cities in the United States.

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Thomson Reuters photo.