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May 16, 2019
On the web
Walmart Extends Streak of Sales Growth
Wall Street Journal (paywall)
“While some retailers have closed or seen sales sputter in recent years with the rise of online shopping, quarterly comparable sales have risen consistently in Walmart’s primary U.S. business for over four years. Walmart has shifted strategies, significantly reducing spending on building new stores in favor of growing online, lowering prices and adding more services in physical stores like online grocery pickup. Last week Walmart said it has invested in its online delivery network over the past two years to speed delivery times.”
April 2, 2019
On the web
Walmart Unveils Voice-Activated, Google-Powered Grocery Shopping
Bloomberg
“Beginning this month, Walmart shoppers can add items directly to their online shopping carts by saying “Hey Google, talk to Walmart.” Information from prior purchases will help identify the correct brand and size — like whether you drink 1 percent or skim milk without having to specify, according to Tom Ward, Walmart’s senior vice president of digital operations. In a blog post Tuesday, he said customers can tweak their orders at home or from their smartphone while on the go.”
February 27, 2019
Top Post
Affirm and Walmart Announce Omnichannel Partnership
“Affirm, Inc., the financial technology company that provides transparent and consumer-friendly payment alternatives to cash and traditional credit, today announced a partnership with Walmart that will give shoppers the option of using Affirm to pay for their purchases over time at nearly 4,000 Supercenters nationwide. Walmart will begin to integrate Affirm as a payment option on Walmart.com over the coming weeks.”
February 26, 2019
On the web
The Value Chain Constraint
Stratechery by Ben Thompson
“Walmart was able to integrate wholesale purchasing with an expansive network of stores; this provided a moat of sustainably lower prices for customer driven by purchasing power over suppliers. Amazon, though, thanks to technological innovation — specifically, the Internet — was able to build a different integration in the value chain:”
February 19, 2019
On the web
Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce sales up 43% in Q4, thanks to growing online grocery business
TechCrunch
“In November, eMarketer noted Walmart had overtaken Apple to become the No. 3 online retailer in the U.S., with Walmart (including its Jet and Sam’s Club brands) poised to capture 4 percent of all online retail by year-end. Amazon, of course, remained No. 1, followed by eBay.”
December 21, 2018
On the web
Great news – your PayPal Cash Mastercard® just got better!
paypal-communication
“We partnered with Walmart to make it more affordable for you to use Walmart-branded ATMs at all Walmart stores nationwide. The total fees for using your PayPal Cash Card to make an ATM withdrawal at participating Walmart-branded ATMs has been reduced to $3.00 (from $5.00).”
November 15, 2018
On the wires
Walmart Launches Check Out With Me, a New Service Designed to Save Customers Time
“Check Out with Me is expanding to every Supercenter by Black Friday – just in time for the holidays. Associates will help customers pay by simply swiping their credit card and providing them with a receipt (paper or electronic) wherever they are in the store. To make this service even more convenient, we are positioning associates in the busiest areas of the store, like the garden center, electronics or action alley.”
October 31, 2018
Top Post
Soon you’ll be able to check out at Walmart without going to the register
NBC
““Check Out With Me,” a new program announced Monday, will enable customers to pay for items directly with Walmart associates using hand-held devices and stationed around the store. The new strategy is intended to spare customers the hassle of trying to get large items like Christmas trees and televisions through long and cumbersome checkout lines, though the service “is not limited to any one particular type of item,” a spokesperson for Walmart told NBC News.”
October 29, 2018
On the web
Walmart’s test store for new technology, Sam’s Club Now, opens next week in Dallas
TechCrunch
“Walmart’s warehouse club, Sam’s Club is preparing to open the doors at a new Dallas area store that will serve as a testbed for the latest in retail technology. Specifically, the retailer will test out new concepts like mobile checkout, an Amazon Go-like camera system for inventory management, electronic shelf labels, wayfinding technology for in-store navigation, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence-infused shopping, among other things.”
October 11, 2018
On the wires
Walmart and PayPal Collaborate on Strategic Products to Help Joint Customers
“As part of this collaboration, the two companies will begin rolling out PayPal cash in and cash out money services at Walmart for an exclusive fee of $3 per service. This is the first time PayPal mobile app users will be able to take cash out of their PayPal account in a brick-and-mortar environment, in addition to being able to load cash into their PayPal balance at Walmart stores. Additionally, like PayPal mobile app users, PayPal Cash Mastercard customers can now access their cash balance using Walmart Service Desks, ATMs and cash registers for the same low, transparent fee.”
September 13, 2018
On the web
Walmart to acquire Mexico & Chile-focused grocery delivery service Cornershop for $225M
“Walmart is ramping up its grocery delivery business on the international stage with today’s announcement that it has acquired the crowdsourced, on-demand delivery marketplace Cornershop for $225 million. The rapidly growing service offers on-demand delivery from supermarkets, pharmacies and specialty food retailers in Mexico and Chile, which will continue following the deal’s close, Walmart says.”
September 6, 2018
On the web
Walmart Changes E-Commerce System
AndNowYouKnow
“Implementing a new system, Walmart’s e-commerce strategy is in for a big change. Online shoppers may find that certain household items they wish to place in their cart will be “out of stock.” These items—considered too far away from a customer’s shipping address—will then be unavailable for purchase. The move stems from the retailer’s attempt to avoid orders with high shipping costs. Prior to this new system, Walmart would ship anything regardless of cost or distance.”
August 17, 2018
On the web
Walmart’s E-Commerce and Comparable Sales Jump in Q2
Business of Fashion
“Walmart on Thursday posted a 40 percent rise in US e-commerce sales, higher than the 33 percent growth witnessed in the previous quarter, and its comparable sales grew the most in a decade, sending its shares up 9 percent in premarket trade.”
July 27, 2018
Top Post
Synchrony Lost Walmart Card Deal In Battle With Capital One
Bloomberg
“Synchrony Financial said its credit-card deal with Walmart Inc. won’t be renewed and will expire next year. The largest issuer of store cards said Thursday that it’s evaluating whether to sell the $10 billion in balances or retain the portfolio and convert qualifying customers to general purpose credit cards. Capital One Financial Corp.will take over as issuer of the Walmart’s private-label and co-branded credit cards beginning Aug. 1, 2019.”
July 20, 2018
On the web
Walmart Acquiring Shopify Is No Longer A Laughable Idea
TechCrunch
“The fundamental difference between Walmart and Shopify is that the former is a marketplace while the latter is an e-commerce platform. It is hard for a seller with no distinct brand identity to differentiate herself on a marketplace unlike on a platform. As revenue channels, they are both necessary for a merchant’s omnichannel strategy. While Amazon will rule the roost in the marketplace arena for a long time to come, merchants should start betting on Shopify. This acquisition will be an opportunity for Walmart to write its story in a market that Amazon tried and quit. Shopify does not get you shoppers and Walmart does not get you the support services. As a combined entity, their value proposition becomes very compelling.”
July 12, 2018
On the web
Walmart Said To Weigh Bids From Capital One, Synchrony For Its Credit-Card Business
CNBC
“Walmart has narrowed the competition for its credit card business to bids from two lenders, Capital One and its current card partner Synchrony Financial, according to a report by Bloomberg on Thursday. The retail giant wants its credit card partner to support its aspirations for Walmart Pay, with a substantial part of that being an expansion in its offering of mobile payments, the report said. Shares of Synchrony fell nearly 3 percent in trading following the report, while Capital One stock rose slightly.”
June 14, 2018
Top Post
Microsoft Reportedly Working On Rival Amazon Go Tech For Cashier-Free Stores
The Verge
“Microsoft is reportedly working on technology that could be used to power check-out free retail stores. Reuters reports that the software giant has been talking to Walmart about using the tech, which will rival Amazon’s own Go initiative. Amazon first launched its cashier-free convenience store in the company’s hometown in Seattle last year. Shoppers can simply grab items and leave, as the store is fitted with multiple camera and sensors that use computer vision algorithms to detect what items you’re taking out of the store and charged to your account.”
May 21, 2018
On the web
Walmart Looks to Blockchain for Retail Product Resales
CoinDesk
“The document, released last Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, outlines a blockchain ledger which would track the items that stores sell to a particular customer. It’s the latest example of an intellectual property play by Walmart, which has filed a number of related applications and has also piloted the tech for tracking food products. The proposed system would allow a customer to register the item after it’s bought for the first time. The customer would then be able to choose a price for a resale, with the system itself acting essentially as a digital marketplace, according to the application”
May 15, 2018
On the web
Walmart Just Abandoned Cashierless Checkout, And It Reveals A Huge Challenge In Its Battle With Amazon
Business Insider
“Walmart just killed an app that let shoppers scan and pay for items with their smartphones so they could skip waiting in line at checkout registers, the company confirmed to Business Insider on Tuesday. The decision to drop the app, called Scan & Go, comes just four months after the retailer announced it would expand its test of the technology to more than 100 stores.”
May 14, 2018
On the web
Walmart May Launch IPO For Flipkart In As Early As Four Years
Reuters
“Walmart Inc said on Saturday in a filing with a U.S. regulator that it may take India’s Flipkart public in as early as four years, detailing for the first time a potential listing timeline for Walmart’s largest-ever acquisition.”
May 4, 2018
On the web
Walmart Seeking $15 Billion Stake in Indian E-Commerce Giant Flipkart
Wall Street Journal (Paywall)
“Walmart Inc.’s WMT +0.42% battle with Amazon.com Inc. is heading to India. Walmart is near a deal to invest around $15 billion for a roughly 75% stake in Flipkart Group, India’s largest e-commerce company, according to a person familiar with the matter. It would be a big bet by Walmart that India will be a source of growth at a time when Amazon is gaining ground in the country.”
April 30, 2018
On the web
Walmart retreats from its UK Asda business to hone its focus on competing with Amazon
TechCrunch
“This morning, UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s announced a deal with Walmart to buy a majority stake in Asda, Walmart’s wholly-owned UK subsidiary. The deal values Asda at £7.3 billion ($10 billion), and if it closes will net Walmart £2.975 billion ($4 billion) in cash, a 42 percent share of the combined business as a “long-term shareholder”, and 29.9 percent voting rights in the combined entity, which will include 2,800 Sainsbury’s, Asda and Argos stores and 330,000 employees in the country.”
April 19, 2018
On the wires
Walmart Launches Check Out With Me, a New Service Designed to Save Customers Time
“Walmart is testing a new program called Check Out With Me in the Lawn & Garden Centers of more than 350 stores across the country, just in time for the busy spring season. Outfitted with cellular devices and Bluetooth printers, Lawn & Garden associates at these select stores can check out customers and provide a receipt on the spot. Customers no longer need to venture inside the physical store to pay for items like mulch, soil and flowers, saving them valuable time.”
April 6, 2018
On the web
Walmart to roll out over 500 more Pickup Towers to U.S. stores this year
TechCrunch
“Walmart announced this week it’s going to roll out more than 500 additional Pickup Towers to its U.S. stores over the course of the year. The towers, which are like high-tech vending machines distributing customers’ online purchases, were first introduced into nearly 200 stores in 2017. The towers are one of the ways Walmart is taking on Amazon by leveraging its large brick-and-mortar footprint to encourage more sales. The company had also announced last April a “pickup discount” on a million online-only items, if customers opted for store pickup over shipping.”
April 3, 2018
On the wires
MoneyGram and Walmart Launch Walmart2World, Powered by MoneyGram
“MoneyGram (NASDAQ: MGI) and Walmart today announced the launch of Walmart2World, Powered by MoneyGram, a new money transfer service that allows customers to send money from Walmart in the US to any MoneyGram location in 200 countries. The companies also renewed their long-term agreement to offer all MoneyGram products and services at Walmart for two more years.”
April 2, 2018
On the web
Walmart opens first small high-tech supermarket in China
Reuters
“The world’s largest retailer, known for its hypermarkets, is expanding in China as shopping with mobile devices gains popularity in the country, and as retailers and technology companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd cut deals to integrate online and offline shopping.”
March 27, 2018
On the web
In China payment war, Walmart places bet on Tencent
Reuters
“Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, on Tuesday said it had dropped Alibaba-linked Alipay in all its stores in the western region of the country, after agreeing a tie-up with Tencent to use its popular WeChat payment system. The move underscores how China’s retail market is dividing into two camps around Alibaba and Tencent, tech behemoths worth a combined $1 trillion who are shaking up the online and offline retail market.”
March 26, 2018
On the web
Walmart files patent applications for drone shopping assistants and smart shopping carts
The Verge
“Walmart filed a host of patents today related to how it keeps track of inventory — and the technologies could change the way its customers shop, as reported by Gizmodo. One of the patents is clearly for the in-store experience, and proposes a sensing device to make shopping carts smart and communicate with a mobile device (presumably to help you navigate to where items are). There’s also a patent that tracks users through wearables, and several for managing / sensing inventory levels.”
March 7, 2018
On the wires
TSYS Announces Agreement with Walmart to Implement New Payment Solution at Retail Locations Nationwide
“TSYS today announced that its new patent pending payment solution, Advanced AuthControlSM, that recognizes qualified purchases determined by a consumer’s healthcare plan, will be implemented at Walmart and Sam’s Clubs locations nationwide. This solution, combined with Walmart’s proprietary, point-of-sale decisioning capabilities known as “Directed Spend,” enables TSYS healthcare clients to provide incentive dollars to members through their healthcare plan wellness incentive program.”
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