Seattle-based online bookseller Amazon.com on Aug. 12 went live with an integrated Website offering merchandise from the Target, Marshall Field’s, and Mervyn’s stores, all of which are owned by Target Corp., as well as goods from Amazon. At the same time, Target’s Marshall Field’s unit has begun mailing the first of its three new catalogs. A general merchandise hits homes this week; mailings of the other two books–home and apparel–“will be staggered” over the next week or two, says Heidi Weaver, a spokesperson for the Marshall Field’s division of Minneapolis-based Target.
While the site gives Amazon entrée into the apparel business, Target gets to take advantage of Amazon’s name and Web-hosting expertise. Although the companies haven’t revealed the financial terms, the arrangement is similar to Amazon’s relationship with Toyrsrus.com, in which the bookseller receives a percentage of the toy retailer’s online transactions.