Target has completed the rollout of a new GenAI tool across its nearly 2,000 stores to help store associates quickly resolve their job challenges.

The solution, called Store Companion, is a chatbot developed by Target that can answer questions about work processes, coach new team members, support store operations management, and more.

The initiative is part of Target’s broader strategic approach to deploy GenAI across the company.

“We know that technology will continue to play an outsized role in the future of retail – for our team members, our guests and our business,” said Brett Craig, executive vice president and chief information officer at Target.

“With that in mind, we’re constantly experimenting with new tools to make our team’s jobs even easier and bring even more of what guests love about shopping at Target to life.”

“The transformative nature of GenAI is helping us accelerate the rate of innovation in our operations, and we are excited about the role these new tools and applications will play in driving growth.”

Store Companion is available as an app on store employees’ specially equipped handheld devices and provides instant answers to their questions about processes and procedures.

For example, team members can type prompts like “How do I sign up a guest for a Target Circle Card?” and “How do I restart the cash register in the event of a power outage?” and receive instructions and resources in seconds. The tool also serves as a store process expert and coach, helping new and seasonal team members learn on the job.