The retailer is apparently looking for a way to make your Target ride even smoother, and is therefore introducing CarPlay integration, which should make completing ‘Drive Up’ orders even easier if you have an iPhone.
Similar to curbside pickup, Target offers Drive Up as a convenient way to pick up items you ordered online without leaving your car. Traditionally, the experience works by placing your order through Target.com or the iOS app, processing it and selecting a time. Then, when you arrive at Target, you park in one of the marked spots and select “I’m here” in the app to have a Target representative bring out your ordered items.
It’s pretty simple, but Target wants to make it even easier. If you have CarPlay, you’ll see the Target app pop up on your car’s screen, and from there you’ll see your most recent or active “Drive Up” order. You’ll be greeted with the store’s location and a simple navigation button that will seemingly launch Apple Maps directions to get to the store.
It would be really helpful to have the ability to view and manage Drive Up orders directly within the CarPlay experience for iPhone users. I can imagine this being useful if you were processing an order in the morning while you were at the office and setting it up for when you got home; instead of having to use your phone when you got there, you could quickly initiate the process from your vehicle itself… and safely, too.
If you don’t have an active Drive Up order, you can tap “Find a Store” to view and navigate to nearby Target locations. After all, Target probably wants you to pick up an order or head into the store for a Target ride with its CarPlay experience.
The ability to arrange a “Drive Up” order within the Target app is a first for CarPlay, and they’re the first retailer to roll it out nationwide in the United States. You’ll need the latest version of the Target iOS app, available for free in the App Store, and a CarPlay-enabled vehicle.
While Drive Up for CarPlay is available now, Target has confirmed that they will have a similar experience with Android Auto in the future, though no exact time frame has been released beyond “coming soon.”