NEW YORK, United States — Target Corp plans to test a next-day home delivery service called Target Restock in the Minneapolis area, the company said in a blog post on Monday.

The company said household essentials ordered online, like laundry detergent and coffee, will be packaged at a nearby store, allowing for delivery the next day.

Target and other major brick and mortar retailers are investing heavily in their e-commerce businesses as they try to gain ground on Amazon.com Inc , which revolutionised online retail through aggressive pricing and speedy delivery.

Minneapolis-based Target lagged behind competitors in e-commerce, but is now stepping up its emphasis on such sales. The company had signed a deal with online delivery service Instacart to pick up Target groceries and deliver them to customers in some cities.

The company intends to compete with rivals Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Amazon for same-day delivery.

By Akankshita Mukhopadhyay; editor: Mary Milliken.