New initiatives at Walmart include discounts on merchandise that customers buy on-line and have shipped to a nearby Walmart store for pick-up. During the initial period the merchandise will be identified with a “pick-up discount” sign when customers purchase the merchandise on-line. In my recent market survey, Walmart and Amazon had identical prices on many items, and Walmart now is enticing its customers with more ways to save. To compete even more directly with Amazon, Walmart recently eliminated its ShoppingPass program in favor of a two--day free shipping initiative. And, I think BOPIS will drive traffic into Walmart stores and will be a big, winning, advantage in the competitive fight with Amazon.

Source: Forbes April 17, 2017 11:03 UTC