Walmart is "stealing" Amazon's skills again

Since entering the e-commerce field, Walmart seems to have regarded Amazon as its number one competitor, and many of the new features it has launched are "borrowed" from Amazon.

Recently, Walmart launched a new design for its website and app. Coincidentally, the new design is very similar to Amazon in terms of layout and content.

It is understood that the pictures on Walmart's new homepage are larger and more saturated. In addition, Walmart has given product categories and promotions more "fashionable" names, such as "Spring Easter Must-Haves" and "Fun Decor for Less Than $20".

“ The revamped website and app will increase consumers’ desire to shop and allow them to browse and discover new products more intuitively, ” Tom Ward, head of Walmart’s e-commerce division, wrote in a blog post.

“The new homepage highlights the presence of products, which is in line with the current shopping habits of consumers. It is now easier for them to find the products they like.”

Ward also added that the new homepage also has live broadcast and social media-like features, allowing users to swipe through various products, just like they usually scroll through TikTok and Facebook . According to Ward, the new recommendation mode can help sellers show their products to more consumers.

Some speculate that Walmart's move may be an attempt to recreate the "growth miracle" during the epidemic. At that time, due to the closure of offline channels, consumers had to turn to online shopping, and Walmart's e-commerce sales achieved an exaggerated increase of 97% year-on-year.

In contrast, Walmart's e-commerce sales in the most recent quarter increased by only 17% year-on-year. However, it is obviously unrealistic to want to return to the growth rate during the epidemic. Walmart's real intention should still be to grab more market share, especially Amazon users.

In addition to this homepage redesign, Walmart has also had several operational strategies targeting Walmart before, such as launching Walmart+ membership similar to Amazon Prime membership. In addition, in recent years, Walmart has also imitated Amazon to attract a large number of third-party sellers to join in order to enrich its product categories.

By following suit, Walmart may hope to surpass its industry leader someday. However, according to the latest data, Amazon's traffic is still five times that of Walmart. As the most popular shopping app in the United States, Amazon's leading position is unlikely to be shaken in the short term.

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