The Walmart App Raises the Customer Experience

Walmart customers are reaping the benefits of the store’s app, which has elevated the customer experience to new levels.

“The Walmart app is also allowing us to serve customers in convenient ways, whether it is by finding an item in store, researching a product, or refilling a prescription,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said during the May 19 first-quarter earnings call, according to Seeking Alpha. “Walmart Pay is enhancing our ability to provide a seamless shopping experience as customers quickly pay with their phone. A few weeks ago, we began to expand this service nationwide and we're on schedule to complete the rollout by the end of June.”

What’s more, McMillon is encouraged by the Walmart U.S. comp and attributes it to real improvements in the store customer experience.

“Our customers are giving us positive feedback and I’m seeing it myself on store visits and you can see it in the traffic numbers,” he explained. “We delivered comp sales of 1% in Walmart U.S. due to continuing traffic increases, which improved 1.5% this quarter. This was our seventh consecutive quarter of positive comp sales and our sixth consecutive quarter of positive comp traffic. It is exciting to see the improvement in core retail fundamentals.”

For example, McMillon noted progress made on the inventory front.

“That progress is important in its own right and for cash flow purposes, but it can also help create a virtuous loop,” he explained. “When combined with our investments in training and associate education, wages and store structure, it is giving our associates more time on the sales floor to serve customers. Our customer satisfaction scores have continued to strengthen and our in stock has gotten Walmart now offers more than 10 million SKUs on Walmart.com.

“We’re growing that number through a combination of first-party and third-party items,” McMillon added. “It makes sense that perception will trail reality and we will work on both during the course of this year. We will build on the successes we have seen around the world, including in the U.S. and we will continue to work through the challenges we have experienced in key markets like Brazil, China, and the UK where our ecommerce and mobile commerce sales are softer. We’re pleased with our ecommerce operating system and happy to have our new ecommerce fulfillment centers operational. Those are necessary building blocks. I’m excited about the ways we're using technology to deepen our relationship with customers and help them save both money and time. Our Grocery Pickup service in the U.S. continues to receive high marks from customers and we're continuing to expand it.”

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