Walmart’s website and app have a sleek new design that will give customers a “product-focused experience,” but the observant user may notice some similarities to Amazon’s web presence.
Key Details
- The newly updated website includes live videos and professional, clean photos of products. The layout and focus of the web page bear similarity to Amazon—one of Walmart’s chief rivals.
- Walmart is attempting to capture some of the retail market that Amazon dominates, and the redesign is the latest step in the company’s plan.
- In addition to an eye-catching design and better photos, the app also divides products into suggested categories, such as “fun decor under $20” and “spring for Easter must-haves,” Insider reports.
Why it’s news
Finding a way to keep customers returning to the website and app is one of the challenges Walmart must overcome to keep pace with Amazon. Unlike the Seattle-based retailer, Walmart is a largely in-person retail experience, though it does have significant online-order traffic and in-person pickup options.
In addition to mimicking some of Amazon’s features, the redesign also takes a note from social media layouts. Users will find videos and products styled similarly to social media posts on the home page.
“The new homepage offers a product-focused experience that better mirrors the way our customers love to shop, highlighting the items that matter most to them at any given moment,” says Walmart’s chief e-commerce officer Tom Ward.
The redesign draws a user’s attention to products Walmart wants to highlight, including third-party products that have deals with the retailer.
During the pandemic, Walmart’s e-commerce sales accelerated as fewer shoppers visited the store in person. Walmart’s pickup and delivery options appealed to consumers who wanted a quick and convenient way to get groceries. In the second quarter of 2020, the company reported its e-commerce sales grew 97%. In the most recent quarter, its e-commerce sales grew 17%, Insider reports.
While attempting to continue its e-commerce growth, Walmart has been emulating Amazon’s strategies. In 2020, it established Walmart+, its version of Amazon Prime.