Target Plus listing requirements: titles, bullets, images, attributes and the content rules that get items rejected

A Target Plus listing needs a title in Target's recipe of brand, size grouping, description, item type, style or model, size or colour and count, kept to about 100 characters and never over 150; at least two short bullets; a plain-text description of at least 50 words and no more than 4,000 characters; square images with the product filling the frame and no added words; and every attribute its item type asks for, as the integrators that connect sellers to Target Plus relay it. SPS Commerce, which sends listings to Target Plus, lists words, images and data that disagree, and claims with no supporting documents, among the common reasons Target rejects items.

Target's public seller page covers the application. The field-by-field listing rules in this guide come from the integrators that send listings to Target Plus: Zentail, ChannelEngine, SPS Commerce and Feedonomics. Where they differ, this guide gives the stricter reading, which passes both.

You reach this stage after Target accepts your application at plus.target.com, where you submit your business details and proposed item assortment and Target says it will review the application and share next steps within 30 days of submission. The guide on selling on Target Plus covers the application, fees and fulfilment. This one covers the listing itself, field by field.

What does a Target Plus listing have to include?

A Target Plus listing comes down to attributes, copy (the title and descriptions) and images. Here is each part at a glance, as the integrators relay it:

How long can a Target Plus title be?

A Target Plus title should run between 21 and 100 characters, with 150 as the hard maximum, as ChannelEngine relays. Zentail says the same: "Target limits titles to 150 characters and prefers titles to be more around 100 characters", and its requirements checklist asks for no more than 100 with no keyword stuffing. SPS Commerce lists titles over 150 characters among the reasons Target rejects items. Write to 100. A title of 100 characters or fewer meets every reading.

Target's title recipe, as Zentail relays it, is "Brand + Size Grouping + Item Description / Feature + Item Type + Style / Model # + Size / Color + Count". SPS Commerce's attribute guide gives the same order and says style or model number and count apply only when relevant. Three further rules come from the integrators:

• Leave out ™ and ® after the brand name.
• The brand in the title must match the brand attribute. SPS Commerce lists "Product title brand and brand attribute do not align" as a common rejection.
• Parent titles carry no variation details. A parent item's title must not contain a size or colour; those belong to each child.

For example: "Brand Women's Ribbed Knit Cardigan Sweater, Oatmeal, Medium" on a child item, and "Brand Women's Ribbed Knit Cardigan Sweater" on its parent.

What are the Target Plus bullet and description rules?

Zentail relays that Target wants at least two feature bullets, and ChannelEngine relays a maximum of 120 characters each with no HTML. Zentail's listing prep guide suggests each bullet run three to eight words, and its requirements checklist asks for "no more than 50 characters each", so the shape that passes every reading is one fact per bullet in 50 characters or fewer.

The long description takes no HTML. ChannelEngine relays 50 to 20,000 characters, and Zentail's listing prep guide relays at least 50 words and no more than 4,000; a description of at least 50 words and no more than 4,000 characters meets both. For items with variations, the parent description must be generic and apply to every child, while each child description must be specific and include its size or colour.

Write the description as plain paragraphs: what the item is, what it is made of, its size, how to use and care for it, and what is in the box. Keep URLs and advertising language out, as Zentail's checklist asks.

What images does Target Plus require?

Target Plus images are square, with the product filling the frame: ChannelEngine relays a 1,200 pixel minimum with 2,400 preferred, and Zentail's checklist a 5,000 pixel maximum at 300 dpi or more. The relayed rules in full:

Zentail and Feedonomics relay a lower floor of 1,000 pixels; 1,200 meets both readings, and 2,400 meets every one of them.

The words rule is the one that changes how you make images for Target. Zentail's listing prep guide says Target bans text on images because it goes against Target's accessibility guidelines, and suggests sellers who use text callouts elsewhere send Target a separate set. SPS Commerce lists images containing text not mentioned in the copy among the common rejections. Zentail's requirements checklist words it more loosely, asking that text on additional images follow ADA accessibility guidelines. A word-free version of every image meets every reading, so keep one for Target Plus. The guide to product image sizes for every marketplace shows how Target's sizes compare with the rest.

Which attributes does Target Plus require?

The attributes Target Plus requires depend on the item type, as Zentail relays: the valid values for each attribute change by item type, and Target often adds valid values, so download the current valid-value sheet for each product type when you prepare items. Four attribute rules apply to every item:

1. Item type. The Target Plus item type must match the predicted item type on the item transfer sheet, and SPS Commerce lists an item type that does not align with the images, long description, bullets or attributes among the common rejections.
2. Variations. Size or colour is always required for items with variations, and Target Plus accepts only "Color" or "Size" as the variation name, even when the item varies by count or flavour.
3. Barcode. Each item needs a valid 12-digit GS1-certified UPC or a 13-digit EAN, and Zentail relays a unique GS1-approved barcode for each SKU.
4. List price. All items must carry a list price to be approved.

Valid values are case-sensitive in Zentail's reading, and Zentail's Target Plus category value goes in lower case.

What content rules get Target Plus listings rejected?

Claims without documents, and parts that disagree, are the common reasons SPS Commerce's troubleshooting guide gives for Target Plus rejecting a listing:

Words such as "non-toxic", "eco-friendly" or "clinically proven" are claims. If you cannot send the evidence the day Target asks for it, leave the word out.

What legal and category items does Target Plus ask for?

Integrators relay legal confirmations and category assets on top of the listing. ChannelEngine relays that the Prop 65 warning text is required whenever an item is flagged for Proposition 65. Zentail's checklist asks whether you can supply size charts for all wearable items in grid (non-image) format, register hazardous items with UL-WERCSmart and register supplements with Label Insight.

The size chart rule matters for apparel sellers: a chart in grid format is data, not an image, so a size chart that exists only as a graphic does not meet it. The guide to size charts covers how to build one, and the article on Prop 65 for online sellers covers the warning.

A Target Plus listing checklist

1. Title in Target's recipe, 100 characters or fewer, no ™ or ®, brand matching the brand attribute.
2. Parent title and description generic; each child carries its size or colour.
3. At least two short bullets, each 50 characters or fewer, no HTML.
4. A plain-text description of at least 50 words and no more than 4,000 characters, with no links, advertising language or claims you cannot document.
5. A square white main image and at least three alternatives, 2,400 pixels a side, JPG, RGB, with no added words.
6. Item type matching Target's prediction, and every required attribute for it, from the current valid-value sheet.
7. A GS1 barcode and a list price on every item.
8. Prop 65 text, grid size charts and hazmat or supplement registrations where they apply.

How Commicorn helps

Commicorn makes Target Plus listing images and copy from your product photos, to Target's rules as the integrators relay them, with no words added to the images. Start free.

Questions sellers ask

What is the character limit for a Target Plus title?

ChannelEngine relays a recommended Target Plus title length of 21 to 100 characters with 150 as the maximum, and SPS Commerce lists titles over 150 characters among the common rejections; write to 100.

Can Target Plus images have text on them?

No. Zentail relays that Target bans text on images under its accessibility guidelines, and SPS Commerce lists images with text not mentioned in the copy among the common rejections, so send Target a word-free set.

How many images does a Target Plus listing need?

One image launches an item, but three is the preferred minimum, as ChannelEngine relays; SPS Commerce relays one primary image and at least two to three alternatives.

How many bullets does Target Plus allow?

Zentail relays that Target wants at least two feature bullets, and its requirements checklist asks for no more than 50 characters each, stricter than the 120 ChannelEngine relays; keep each to 50 or fewer, with no HTML.

Why was my Target Plus item rejected?

Common reasons SPS Commerce lists include claims without supporting documents, a title brand that differs from the brand attribute, titles missing recommended data points or over 150 characters, and images or text that do not match the item's data.

The last word

Target Plus reviews a listing as one record, and every part has to agree with every other: the brand in the title with the brand field, the item type with the images, the words with the data. Build the item's facts once, write each field from them, keep the images free of words, and you close off the common rejections SPS Commerce lists.