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.

BUSINESS - Walmart Confirms US$3.3B Jet.com Acquisition

A Walmart news release several hours ago confirmed it has accepted terms to acquire Jet.com for US$3.3 billion dollars.

In the largest e-commerce deal yet, Wal-mart Inc. will pay US$3 billion in cash and provide US$300 million in Walmart shares. According to independent reports, Jet’s 45-year-old founder, Marc Lore, will take on the senior leadership position in e-commerce for Walmart. WalMart’s top online executive, Neil Ashe, who joined the company as head of e-commerce in 2012 is expected to depart. 

“We’re looking for ways to lower prices, broaden our assortment and offer the simplest, easiest shopping experience because that’s what our customers want,” said Doug McMillon, president and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “We believe the acquisition of Jet accelerates our progress across these priorities. Walmart.com will grow faster, the seamless shopping experience we’re pursuing will happen quicker, and we’ll enable the Jet brand to be even more successful in a shorter period of time. Our customers will win. It’s another jolt of entrepreneurial spirit being injected into Walmart.”

According to the joint news release, Walmart and Jet will maintain distinct brands, with Walmart.com focusing on delivering the company’s Everyday Low Price strategy, while Jet will continue to provide a unique and differentiated customer experience with a curated assortment of products and services. Walmart and Jet will leverage innovative technology solutions from both companies to develop new offerings to help customers save time and money.

“We started Jet with the vision of creating a new shopping experience,” said CEO and co-founder Marc Lore. “Today, I couldn’t be more excited that we will be joining with Walmart to help fuel the realization of that vision. The combination of Walmart’s retail expertise, purchasing scale, sourcing capabilities, distribution footprint, and digital assets – together with the team, technology and business we have built here at Jet – will allow us to deliver more value to customers.”

InfoStream provided information of the pending Walmart Jet deal in an earlier article entitled 'Why would Walmart buy Jet.com'. The directors of both companies have approved the deal which is expected to receive regulatory approval and complete before the end of the year.

About Walmart:

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly 260 million customers and members visit our 11,527 stores under 63 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2016 revenue of $482 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.