Wal-Mart has been in the news quite a bit recently. From an e-commerce perspective, it is making big moves into this arena.
Below are some important highlights to note about Wal-Mart:
Wal-Mart is experiencing steady growth. As reported by The Motley Fool, the revenue of Wal-Mart during the first quarter (ending on April 30) came in at $119 billion — a 4% increase. U.S. Wal-Mart stores delivered a 1% increase in comparable-store sales on the back of a 1.5% increase in traffic during the first quarter. This has been the seventh straight quarter of positive comparable sales, and the sixth straight quarter of positive comparable traffic.
As reported by Engadget, Wal-Mart is investing in modern technology, such as the use drones in its warehouses.
Wal-Mart plans to test Grocery Delivery Through Uber and Lyft. Shoppers will pay a $7-to-$10 delivery charge to Wal-Mart to have the groceries brought to their door. It seems like a very aggressive and direct competition for Amazon Fresh and JET Fresh Food delivery services.
Earlier this year, Wal-Mart introduced Wal-Mart Marketplace API, allowing merchants to register to become a partner. Once approved, third-party merchant are approved to start selling their products on Wal-Mart.com. It is still a very new initiative, but it means more competition for Amazon, JET, Ebay and other e-commerce sites. This is yet another marketplace for merchants to sell on. Now is a good time to register to sell on Wal-Mart.com. We are proud to announce that GeekSeller will soon offer merchant integration for this new marketplace. For more details, please contact us at support@geekseller.com.