23 February 2017

BUSINESS - Walmart Continues Bid to Become Ecommerce Heavyweight

Walmart has once again upped its game in the world of ecommerce.

Last year the retail giant took a major step to compete in the ecommerce market with the acquisition of Jet.com.

InfoStream predicted at the time the two companies had the potential to make a dent in sector-leading Amazon’s market share.

Their intention to do just that was illustrated by Walmart’s recent adoption of a free two-day shipping program.

To further bolster their ecommerce, Jet.com purchased ShoeBuy for approximately $70 million in January of this year.

Shoebuy is a leading online footwear, clothing and accessories retailer that carries over 800 brands and will continue to operate as a stand alone site.

That acquisition was followed by the purchase of outdoor retailer Moosejaw by Walmart just last week for $51 million.

While Moosejaw is a small retailer, they have experienced significant growth in contrast to other outdoor gear stores.

In case anyone had been in doubt, Walmart is showing they are serious about becoming a major ecommerce player.

Their strategy seems to be working for the company.

Walmart recently announced online sales gained 29% in the fourth quarter which ended January 31.

“We’re happy about how fast we’re moving, but still have a lot of work to do,” Marc Lore, President and CEO Walmart ecommerce US, said on a call with reporters.

Lore was up-front about the company’s interest in more acquisitions similar to Moosejaw.

It won’t be surprising to hear about additional ecommerce related purchases by Walmart in the near future.

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