After a long, grueling battle, Target is inching back into Canada in the form of an online store. On Target’s international website, there is now an option for Canadians to purchase their goods and have it shipped to Canada- except at an absurdly high price.
Even though Target is boasting online about its goods priced in Canadian dollars and “low international shipping rates”, upon closer inspection it is noted that prices were often much higher than the U.S. prices and sometimes the shipping fees cost more than the actual item! Below is an example of the breakdown of fees for an item from Target shipped to Canada:
Source: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/target-inching-tentatively-back-into-canada-with-cross-border-online-shopping-%E2%80%94-at-a-price-194707264.html
I personally feel that Target’s lack of market research is the primary reason they are failing once again. It is essential that they understand the prices Canadians are willing to pay their goods, and not exceed those limits, especially since Target is primarily a U.S. based company and the competition they face in Canada, such as Walmart, is fierce. After Target’s attempt to expand into Canada and then exiting Canada, their brand reputation is no longer what it was, nor can it be the same as it is in the U.S. I think Target should just stick to serving its U.S. customer base, because as it has been proven twice, expanding into Canada is just a waste of time and money.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/target-canada-online-sales-1.3282848