Walmart (WMT ) - Добијте извештај за Walmart Inc operates nearly 5,000 stores across all 50 U.S. States. The chain has focused on being accessible and that has worked as over 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its stores.
Accessible, however, does not mean enjoyable. Walmart wants people to be able to get to its stores to buy what they need, but it has never really focused on making the experience a pleasant one.
Now, with competition increasing and the bar for people to actually go into a store instead of ordering for delivery or curbside pickup getting higher, the retail giant has decided to try something new.
“Today, we’re unveiling a new, signature experience in our incubator location, Store 4108 in Springdale, Arkansas, that we call ‘Time Well Spent.’ It focuses on making Walmart a destination where customers want to spend their time,” wrote Walmart Store Design, Innovation, and Experience Vice President Alvis Washington on the company’s blog.
The incubator store serves as a location for the company to try out new ideas and concepts that it later introduces into its stores.
“In today’s omnichannel world, customers still want to experience – touch, feel and try – items,” wrote Washington. “So, we’re now aiming to make customers feel wowed and proud when they shop with us. We’re using powerful design elements to show off amazing products that wow our customers, and when they see the value, they are proud of their choice and purchase”.
Walmart competes with Target (TGT ) – Добијте извештај за целната корпорација , a retailer which has focused on making its stores destinations for its customers. That has involved evolving its stores to include store-within-a-store locations from Starbucks (SBUX ) – Добијте извештај за корпорацијата Старбакс , Ulta Beauty (УЛТА ) - Добијте извештај за Ulta Beauty Inc , and Walt Disney (ДИС ) - Добијте извештај за компанијата Волт Дизни . It has also included a revamp of its locations to make them specific to the markets they operate in and has added new company owned and operated brands across to make its merchandise more appealing.
That’s not a strategy Walmart has employed. That has changed, however, since the retailer began revamping its stores last year. Washington explained what the company has done and its next steps in his post.
Last year, we announced the first phase of our store redesign that was focused on navigation and wayfinding. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we now have close to 1,000 stores renovated with this new design to help customers save time in finding what they need.
In this next phase of our redesign, we’re amplifying the physical, human and digital design elements in our stores to inspire customers and elevate the experience. Physical elements include lighting, space enhancements, dynamic displays and more. Our visual merchandising experts have highlighted exciting brands and created engaging experiences that bring to life the human element. Finally, QR codes and digital screens create opportunities for digital exploration.
Source: https://www.thestreet.com/investing/new-walmart-store-concept-wants-to-stop-wasting-your-time?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO&yptr=yahoo