Smarter Parking for A Better Shopping Experience

Target Stores.

As one of the premier retail experiences in America, Target has stores in all 50 states. Due to its popularity, the stores in dense urban areas need to have enough parking to accommodate its shoppers. While this parking existed, it was left unmanaged causing issues for the store’s shoppers.

The Problem.

With these Targets situated in high-demand areas, their parking lots were sometimes completely taken over by non-shoppers for the entirety of a store's business hours. This caused an occupancy overload, reducing spaces for actual shoppers and in some instances deterring them away entirely. With lost revenue due to unmanaged parking, Target needed a solution that would deter poachers, prioritize shoppers, and maintain flexibility to maximize the potential of the stores’ locations.

The Solution.

By partnering with Premium Parking and their Flex Lots® solution, Target now provides shoppers with free parking, ranging from 45 minutes to 2 hours based on the size and location of individual stores. License plate registration is not required for shoppers. Non-shoppers would be required to pay, either ahead of time or by following the instructions on signage displayed around the facility. During off-peak hours for the store, Target can offer parking at competitive rates, ensuring a consistent revenue stream. To enforce these new rules, Premium’s Compliance Ambassadors patrol to verify vehicles are not exceeding their paid or unpaid time periods. Additionally, Premium’s Glide Eye LPR® cameras can validate license plates as cars enter and exit at mixed-use developments with a residential or office component. This solution was phased in across more than 12 stores, with pilot locations in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and St. Paul.

The Results.

Since expanding to 12 locations, poaching incidents and long-term parkers dropped by 85% and 95% respectively. This allowed for more parking space availability for Target shoppers search time to decrease by 67% going from a search of 12 minutes to under 3 minutes. Real-time data showed occupancy rates between 85-90%, which is ideal for ensuring all shoppers can find a spot without overcrowding. Off-peak occupancy rose from 20% to 50%, which amounted to an average of $15,000 per store annually, or $180,000 across all stores. Inside, foot traffic rose by 8% on average, contributing to more revenue for Target. These results speak for themselves as customer satisfaction surveys cite ease of access and reduced stress when visiting these Target locations.