Why does a fast-growing marketplace lean on AI search as it expands its catalog? Because a bigger selection only converts if shoppers can find their match within it — and search is the fastest path from intent to purchase. Target’s marketplace, Target Plus, grew strongly with AI-enhanced search and discovery.
The result: Target Plus delivered nearly 50% growth in gross merchandise value (reaching around $1 billion GMV), powered by AI-enhanced search and discovery across its expanded marketplace.
Expanding selection needs better search#
As Target Plus grew its third-party marketplace — adding sellers and catalog — the challenge shifted from having selection to making it findable. A larger catalog without strong search becomes harder to navigate, not easier. Target invested in AI to enhance search and discovery, personalizing results and surfacing relevant products across the expanded range. That kept the growing marketplace navigable and converting, helping drive nearly 50% GMV growth. Notably, Target Plus already accounts for a meaningful share of Target’s external search volume, underscoring how central search is to discovery.
How AI search works#
AI search interprets shopper intent and ranks results by relevance and likelihood to convert, personalized to each shopper.
Three mechanics drive the impact. Semantic understanding maps natural queries to the right products across an expanding catalog. Personalized ranking orders results around each shopper’s behavior, so the most relevant items lead. And continuous learning sharpens relevance as the marketplace grows and shoppers’ queries diversify.
Why search scales the marketplace#
The strategic point is that search and selection have to grow together. Add sellers and SKUs without improving search, and shoppers get lost in the bigger catalog; improve search alongside expansion, and every new product becomes findable by the shoppers who want it. That’s how a marketplace turns growth in selection into growth in GMV — search is the layer that converts a deeper catalog into more sales rather than more noise. Target Plus’s ~50% GMV growth reflects that balance.
What this means for your store#
Whether your catalog is growing or already large, search is the lever:
- Use AI search so shoppers find products even as your selection expands.
- Personalize result ranking to each shopper’s behavior and intent.
- Scale search alongside selection so a bigger catalog means more sales, not more confusion.
A growing catalog only converts if shoppers can navigate it. AI search makes expansion pay off.
Bring AI search to your store with CartAmplify#
CartAmplify brings personalized AI search to any store — Shopify, dropshipping, or marketplace. Keep a growing catalog navigable and converting, the way Target Plus grew marketplace GMV ~50%.
Related reading#
- How Alibaba’s Accio AI Search Lifted B2B Purchase Intent 40%
- How Yves Rocher Drove an 11x Higher Purchase Rate with AI
- How Adidas Used AI Search to Lift Conversion 13%
GMV figures cited from publicly reported Target Plus data. Results vary by catalog, traffic, and implementation.
