From Our Print Edition

As the company and its executives always remind us, Walmart is about helping its customers save money and live better. I would argue that the first half of that mantra is the retailing giant’s primary calling card with American consumers. Still, it’s also committed to delivering on the second promise, as evidenced by the execution of its omnichannel strategy, including its Walmart+ membership program.

CONSUMERS WANT IT ALL

Walmart is undoubtedly customer-focused, as its “State of Adaptive Retail” report, published last month, once again makes clear. Based partly on insights gleaned from a Morning Consult survey of 2,233 U.S. shoppers, the report finds – and I’m only partially kidding here – that consumers want retailers to give them everything they want, how and when they want As Walmart’s global chief technology officer and chief development officer Suresh Kumar tells it, “Retailers must predict shoppers’ needs, reduce decision-making and enable highly personal experiences. Future retail success depends on how well we anticipate and meet these evolving expectations.”

To its credit, Walmart cautions that the study’s findings are a snapshot in time and that companies must continually adapt to stay in sync with consumers’ wants and wishes.

Services that are currently high on the list of what parents (44%) and Gen Z (42%) consumers want are subscription programs and/or auto delivery.

Americans also want shopping to fit seamlessly into their everyday lives. Nearly 80% have made an online purchase in the past six months while watching TV, browsing social media, eating at home, engaging in a daily task or doing something else. Nearly half want the ability to purchase an item on the spot within seconds of seeing it. They do not want to have to move to a different channel.

This melding of channels extends to in-store and online experiences, where shoppers want each to mirror the other. For example, 45% of in-store shoppers wish to make their purchases without standing in a checkout line, and 41% of online shoppers want to preview or try a product before making a purchase.

Price, quality and security of personal data remain fundamental values for customers when deciding where to spend their dollars, whether online or in-store. Today, 59% of those buying food do so solely in stores, followed by 35% who shop in-store and online and 6% who shop only online. But the numbers skew differently when you look at early tech adopters and Gen Z. Within those two groups, 58% shop in-store and online for food. And Gen Z is almost as likely to order same-day delivery (34%) to replace an item they’ve run out of as head to the store for it (37%).

THREE QUESTIONS

So, what does this mean to all the grocery retailers in the world that aren’t Walmart?

It’s time to get to work. Step one is to start with a clear-eyed self-analysis followed by action steps. Here are three questions worth asking:

• How do survey respondents’ wants compare to the wants of your customers — and consumers that you would like to have as customers?
• Is your current state of technological development able to deliver the blended shopping experiences that your customers value?
• If not, how do you get there without neglecting what you need to succeed in the meantime?

George Anderson, Editor

[email protected]