Walmart Inc. is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of grocery stores, discount department stores, and hypermarkets. Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. While its name implies low prices, it is not the only advantage of Walmart. The company also boasts impressive buying power and uses robotics to make deliveries. Here are 5 things you should know about Walmart. Listed below are some of its most important facts. If you are a first-time customer, read on to learn more.
Amazon Prime
With the free shipping and many of the same perks, Amazon Prime at Walmart is a great option for Amazon fans. But what about the convenience factor? You’ll still get free shipping over $35, and Walmart also offers free grocery delivery. Whether you’d rather use your subscription for movies or to download eBooks, you’ll need to decide which membership program suits your needs best. Here are some of the pros and cons of both.
Among the benefits of Amazon Prime is free two-day shipping on millions of eligible items. In some cities, you can even get the item the same day if you order it online. Standard shipping is also free for Prime members. Non-Prime customers will need to wait five to eight business days before receiving the item. Other benefits include access to Prime Video, which has thousands of TV shows and movies, HBO and Showtime for an additional fee, and over 1,000 books. This service is available on mobile devices and iOS devices with the Kindle application.
Walmart Plus
Whether you’re looking for a great deal on groceries or gas at Walmart, you can sign up for the Walmart+ membership program. Upon enrolling in the program, you’ll be automatically enrolled in its membership plan. After registering, you’ll have 48 hours to cancel your membership before it automatically renews. You can also sign up for a free trial. Walmart offers a 30-day free trial. Once you sign up, you’ll receive access to a wide range of benefits, including free shipping, two-day delivery, and same-day delivery.
One great perk of signing up for the Walmart+ program is that it’s cheaper than using your Amazon Prime account. The subscription will cost you less money when you use it monthly or yearly. You can also enjoy special offers, early access to sales, and discounted gas at select stores. Plus, you can use your card to pay for certain items at participating retailers. With the Walmart app, you can even pay for items without a credit card. You can also pay with your Walmart Pay account, which makes for a quick and easy payment experience. Walmart has many storefronts throughout the United States.
Wal-mart’s buying power
If you’re wondering what the best way to compete with Wal-Mart is, consider that its biggest rivals are growing at such a fast pace that they may eventually match Wal-Mart’s leverage, and they’ll continue to increase their leverage in the years to come. Target reported a quarterly year-over-year TTM revenue growth rate of 2.75% on October 31, 2014. The other two largest rivals are Amazon and Costco, while Kroger trails behind these companies.
While there are many factors that contribute to Walmart’s success, the main factors that drive its pricing are its massive size and low prices. Walmart’s customers have moderate-to-low buying power, a fact that the company relies on because it values its low prices and convenience. But the company is always in need of new brands and products to keep up with its customers’ demands. Thus, Wal-Mart’s buying power is a major source of competitive advantage.
Deliveries by drone
A new service offered by Walmart allows customers to order up to ten pounds of eligible items for air delivery. These items are delivered within 30 minutes. The package is then lowered onto the drone by cable and then gently dropped at the customer’s doorstep. While the drone delivery service is currently only available in six states, the company plans to expand its drone delivery service to more than 34 locations by the end of 2018.
A Walmart spokesperson says that drone delivery is a good way to cut down on delivery costs, but that customers are unlikely to consider it a viable option for emergencies. The company also plans to sell the photos taken by its drones to local businesses to recoup costs. Once the service is up and running, Walmart hopes to complete more than a million deliveries a year. But will the service ever become widespread? Only time will tell.
