asking vendors to create Target-exclusive products that can't be found online.
This strategy would help Target compete with retailers like Amazon on like-for-like products.
Those seem contradictory. Also, that doesn't help Target compete at all, it helps vendors compete against themselves and Target happens to win on one side of the competition (on the other side, some other outlet loses).
I personally don't have a problem shopping in retail stores for a wide variety of things so long as they're priced reasonably. Unfortunately for brick and mortars, if I find a similar product on Amazon for 40% less on a big ticket item, I'm also not stupid and neither are lots of other consumers. This happens frequently, and, if you're reading, I'm sorry, but it does not cost you a difference of $60 on a $150 item to display it in store and I will still not pay such a difference if you happen to have mildly different SKUs with minor feature differences.