Walmart May Have Just One-Upped Amazon With Walmart+
Forbes | July 14, 2020
The battle between Amazon and Walmart, if it was not already, is now in full swing. Rumors surfaced last week from Jason Del Rey of Recode that Walmart will soon unveil a new subscription service called Walmart+ to rival Amazon Prime, and the rumors, if true, may just signal one of the most important retail strategy moves of the coming decade.
According to Recode sources, in July Walmart will debut Walmart+ at $98 per year to compete with Amazon Prime at $119 per year. Walmart customers will get “perks like same-day delivery of groceries and general merchandise, discounts on fuel at Walmart gas stations, and early access to product deals.” It appears all systems are a go, too, as a Walmart+ tease is currently visible on Walmart.com, and a Walmart spokesperson also confirmed the creation of the program via email on Monday.
Walmart+ has the chance to create a virtuous cycle, i.e. a new flywheel, whereby Walmart can extend its brand promise to help people to save money and to live better in a way that means so much more for the good of mankind than what the emotionless experience of simply swiping right for a speedy delivery from Amazon affords.
Or said another way, Walmart+ is a smart call option through which Walmart can showcase just how much people and places still matter.