Walmart is trying to light the fire beneath its “lagging e-commerce operation,” according to a recent Bloomberg article.
Over the past year, the world’s largest retail chain has spent more than $300 million to acquire web-related companies, hired more than 200 people, and started an upgrade of its web platform.
Yet there’s still the feeling that Walmart.com has a lot of catching up to do. And they have to be quick about it, as Walmart.com is losing customers to Amazon.
Half of Walmart customers say they browse Amazon for deals, according to data from the research firm Kantar Retail. Not only that, but Walmart customers are also engaging in scan-and-scram, wielding smartphones to see if they can find better deals online.
“Amazon is always in our sights… my biggest issue is playing a catch-up game,” Jeremy King, the head of technology for @WalmartLabs, told Bloomberg.
One issue not discussed in the Bloomberg article is that Walmart.com desperately needs to improve its product detail pages. Just take a look at Walmart’s sofa with an identity crisis to see why the company needs to create compelling product pages if it wants to compete with big boys like Amazon.
Read the full article at Bloomberg.com.
