Walmart COO says ‘trust me’ this holiday season
Easier shopping every day is the value proposition Walmart touting this holiday season as it contends shoppers are tired of pricing games played by other retailers.
As it does every holiday season, Walmart claims it will have low prices on a broad assortment and the hottest holiday items, but it is also touting an improve store experience and a strengthened omnichannel approach.
“I want customers to be in awe when they see what we have to offer as they walk into our stores or click around our site. Our managers have made a lot of progress to improve the shopping experience before the holidays and our merchants made sure we have the right products in stock,” said Walmart U.S. COO Judith McKenna. “We’re delivering the prices customers expect, but we’ve taken it up a notch. Our supercenters, neighborhood markets and Walmart.com will be a powerful combination for customers this holiday season – trust me.”
With more than 140 million customers visiting its stores each week and more than 210 million visits expected to its app in November and December – up from 18 million in 2013 – Walmart contends it will offer shoppers the most integrated holiday shopping season ever. The company claims its more than 4,500 stores, millions of additional items online and a best-in-class fulfillment network, it will be able to serve customers like only it can. For example, the retailer said it will:
• Offer honest low prices all season long. The approach will appeal to shoppers because as McKenna noted in a blog post, “high-low retailers and pricing games have led to frustrated holiday shoppers who second-guess their purchase decisions throughout the season.”
• Be more aggressive with its price Rollback program while curtailing “this weekend only” type promotions which undermine its every day low price value proposition. Walmart said more of its Rollbacks will last at least 90 days this year and be backed by an ad match guarantee and online price match.
• Increase and improve mobile integration. Walmart is rolling out a service called “Mobile Check-In” that allows shoppers to alert stores that they have arrived to retrieve merchandise bought online for in-store pick-up. The company said it expects about 75% of traffic to Walmart.com to come from mobile devices.
• Introduced scan and shop wish lists. For the first time, customers can scan items in store to build a wish list or search for someone else’s list by using the Walmart app.
“Our customers are looking for great deals no matter how they shop with us – whether in store, online or on their mobile device,” says Fernando Madeira, president and CEO of Walmart.com. “We’re building digital capabilities so it’s faster and easier for them to find the right items at the right prices, and get them delivered quickly to their door or to a store.”