The stronger performance in the third quarter also pushed Target to bump up its sales and earnings forecast for the rest of the year.

Target’s relatively upbeat results add to evidence that the retail industry is headed into the holiday shopping season with a tailwind. Macy’s and Kohl’s reported stronger-than-expected earnings results last week. And the Commerce Department said Tuesday that retail sales were up 0.8 percent in October, a robust showing that suggests consumers are feeling relatively confident.

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“We remain very optimistic about the holiday season,” said Brian Cornell, Target’s chief executive, during a conference call with investors.

Target said it saw especially strong sales of items such as clothes and home goods as parents sent their children off to school and college. For example, the kids’ apparel department saw a 6 percent increase in sales during the quarter, executives said. These types of products — clothing and decor — are ones with particularly high profit margins, so it was especially beneficial for Target’s bottom line that it saw strength in these areas. This is part of why Target has been investing heavily in sprucing up its offerings, most notably with the launch of Cat & Jack, a private kids’ clothing label, and Pillowfort, a house brand of furniture, decor, and bedding for kids’ rooms.

The retailer said it has also benefited from a recent change to its marketing tactics, in which it has moved to put a bigger spotlight on value and low prices.

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Grocery continued to be a challenging area for Target, with comparable sales in this department down slightly. Some of that simply reflects a broad-based deflation in food prices, but executives also said they have significant work to do to improve the presentation and selection in this department.

Target’s online sales grew 26 percent in the latest quarter, and yet e-commerce still accounts for a tiny sliver of the big-box chain’s overall sales: In the quarter, just 3.5 percent of sales came from the Web.

During the busy holiday period, the retailer is planning to rely heavily on its stores to help it flex more muscle online. Target, like many of its industry counterparts, has invested in click-and-collect programs that allow shoppers to make purchases online and pick them up at a local store. It is also aiming to ship more orders from its stores to your doorstep. John Mulligan, Target’s chief operating officer, said he expects that stores will fulfill more than half of digital demand during the holiday rush.

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