The E-Commerce Duel: Walmart+ Rising as Amazon Prime's Rival: Report

Walmart Inc WMT seems to have set its sights on a fierce rivalry with the dominating Amazon.Com Inc AMZN Amazon Prime. As competition heats up in the e-commerce world, Walmart's recent strategies position Walmart+ as a formidable counterpart to Amazon's flagship subscription service.

Walmart intensified its promotional endeavors for the Walmart+ subscription towards the end of the previous year, witnessing a notable surge in membership numbers. In July alone, there was an increase of 15% from the prior month, Bloomberg reports.

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The Emergence of Walmart+

Since its inception in 2005, Amazon Prime, with its diverse benefits like free shipping on selected products, has been instrumental in retaining and amplifying customer spending for Amazon. 

Walmart introduced its Plus membership in 2020, yet it had been somewhat reserved about broadcasting its accomplishments. However, during the festive shopping time in 2022, the retail giant shifted gears, amplifying its marketing maneuvers for Walmart+. 

With appealing discounts, added benefits, and a membership fee of $98 annually, it is approximately 30% less expensive than its Amazon counterpart.

An Analyst's Perspective

Bloomberg analyst Jennifer Bartashus suggests that as Walmart incorporates more consumers into its rapidly progressing Plus membership blueprint, their transactions are escalating quicker than Amazon's, implying a conspicuous transfer of expenditure from grocery moguls like Kroger Co KR and Albertsons Co Inc ACI."

The Potential and Future Projections

Estimations for the membership counts of both platforms show variability. Some approximations place Prime at 150 million members, while Walmart's Plus likely caters to around 25 million. 

Such numbers indicate expansive growth potential for Walmart, translating to potential yearly revenue increments in billions. 

Subscribers to Walmart+ tend to engage more often, maintaining similar transaction values. 

In scenarios where Plus hits an estimated 23 million memberships within the year, projections anticipate an extra revenue of $100 billion. Should the present growth trajectory sustain, the sales could ascend to a staggering $160 billion by 2027.

Impact on the Market Dynamics

Walmart+ seems to be impacting the momentum of Prime. As Prime members opt for Walmart+ subscriptions, there's a spike in their Walmart transactions, whereas their Amazon activities remain unchanged. 

A consistent growth in Walmart's subscribers could potentially transform it into a significant revenue and profit powerhouse."

In 2023, Walmart revamped its online look to attract more customers as it tried to gain a pie of the relatively higher margin e-commerce business. Walmart grew its U.S. e-commerce revenue to 11% - 12% during the last two years.

Price Action: WMT shares traded lower by 1.88% at $156.26 on the last check Thursday.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.