Target App and Website Crash During Critical Holiday Shopping Rush

Target’s digital services crashed on Friday. The outage hit the retailer’s app and website. It occurred during the peak holiday shopping period.

Shoppers faced widespread disruptions. They could not process orders or track deliveries. The company confirmed it was working on a fix.

Technical Disruption Halts Online Orders and Gift Cards

The problems began Friday morning. Reports on Downdetector spiked sharply. Thousands of users reported issues over several hours.

Target’s customer service account on X addressed the outage. They acknowledged the website issue. The team said it was working to resolve it quickly.

Order fulfillment and tracking were severely impacted. Customers were charged but could not view their purchases. This caused significant frustration.

The technical failure also affected gift card processing. Shoppers found they could not redeem digital cards. This added another layer of inconvenience during the busy season.

Peak Shopping Season Amplifies Outage Impact

The timing could not be worse for the retail giant. The final weekend before Christmas is crucial. Billions of dollars in sales are at stake.

According to Adobe Analytics, U.S. online spending is already up. Shoppers have spent over $187 billion this season. This marks a 6.1% increase from last year.

Total e-commerce spending is projected to hit $253 billion. Every hour of downtime represents lost revenue. It also damages customer trust during a competitive time.

Retailers rely on smooth digital operations. Target’s outage highlights this vulnerability. Other major chains have faced similar crashes under high traffic.

The widespread Target outage serves as a stark reminder of digital commerce’s fragility. As online shopping hits record highs, such technical failures carry a heavy cost for both retailers and consumers.

Info at your fingertips

What caused the Target app outage?

The exact technical cause was not disclosed by Target. The company stated its team was aware of the issue and working to resolve it. Outages often stem from server overloads during high traffic.

Could customers still shop in Target stores?

Yes, physical Target stores remained open for business. The outage primarily affected online and mobile app services. In-store systems and point-of-sale terminals appeared to function normally.

How long did the Target website disruption last?

The outage lasted for several hours on Friday. Target’s social media advised customers to retry transactions after one to two hours. Service was gradually restored throughout the day.

Were Target gift cards working during the outage?

No, the processing of some Target gift cards was also interrupted. This prevented customers from applying digital gift cards to online purchases. Physical card usage in stores was not affected.

How does this compare to other retail outages?

Major retailers like Walmart and Amazon have experienced similar crashes during sales events. The high volume of holiday shoppers often pushes digital infrastructure to its limits, causing temporary failures.