story by Kim Souza
ksouza@thecitywire.com
The pricing battles between retailers nearly two months before Christmas are heating up as Wal-Mart Stores and competitor Target unveiled plans to sway consumers toward their respective stores and websites.
Savings on 20,000 items in Wal-Mart supercenters will be rolled back on Saturday (Nov. 1) as the retail giant seeks a jumpstart on the official holiday season. Price reductions expand across the big box from grocery items to popular toys and electronics, according to Stephen Bratspies, executive vice president, general merchandise for Walmart U.S.
He said the retailer is focused on delivering lower prices throughout the holiday shopping period – which officially starts this weekend – as stores transform from orange and black to red and green within a short 12-hour window. The retailer gave no details regarding Black Friday deals, except to say they had bought deep in categories like licensed products around the Frozen and Ninja Turtles movies, flat screen televisions, tablets and popular toys.
Bratspies said the physical stores will feature more “retailtainment” events like Frozen parties, or trade-in and up promotions for gamers like the early release of Call of Duty. Wal-Mart said retailtainment and store events are left up to store managers, although the corporate office does make broad recommendations which are followed about 80% of the time. Bratspies said one of Wal-Mart’s strengths is its ability to feature local events and merchandise when possible.
Walmart.com is kicking off its holiday seasonal savings program on Nov. 3 and plans to offer weekly online specials to registered shoppers via email. Free shipping only applies to orders over $50, but this year the retailer is providing free same-day pickup in stores on certain items.
Savings Catcher has been expanded to cover top toy purchases and holiday ham and turkey prices effective Nov. 2. The retailer also is making a new app function available to assist shoppers locating certain items within a supercenter. With “Search My Store,” customers may search for nearly any item carried in a Wal-Mart store and see the item’s availability at that store, its aisle location, ratings and reviews.
“Search My Store” is already available on Android devices and expands to iPhones by mid-November.
“We are taking care of our customers today and all season long no matter how they shop – whether in our stores, online or on their mobile devices,” said Fernando Madeira, president and CEO of Walmart.com U.S. “More than 65% of Walmart customers have smartphones and they look to us to provide a flexible shopping experience when, how and where they want.”
TARGET DEFENSE
Target may be the darkhorse of this holiday season if new CEO Brian Cornell has his way. The company has already announced free delivery on online orders regardless of size.
Walmart.com responded with free shipping on only selected gift items as noted on its website. Target also outlined an aggressive price match strategy between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24.
“If a guest purchases a qualifying item at Target between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 and then finds it for less at Target.com, a local competitor’s printed ad or at select online retailers, Target will match that price,” the company noted in a statement.
Walmart is testing price match against online retailers in six markets. The company gave no details on the test saying only that it’s being discussed. The retailer’s normal price match policy between identical in-store items to other physical store competitors is unchanged.
Target also announced weekly sales, weekend promotions and exclusive deals on Target.com and Cartwheel, Target’s savings app. Cartwheel will offer daily deals for its more than 10 million users, and from Nov. 2 to Dec. 24, Cartwheel will offer 50% off a
different toy every day.
http://cartwheel.target.com/
The app will have new features for the holidays, including special deals for top users, personalized recommendations and a select number of popular offers that do not expire, Target noted in its release.
CONVENIENCE TOOLS
Both retailers mentioned new or expanded tools and resources to provide more convenience for shopper this holiday season.
• Wal-Mart
Wish List: Starting Nov. 7, children and parents can build a Toy Wish List for Santa by adding their favorite toys directly from Walmart’s digital Toy Book. Wish lists can be shared on Facebook and in email with friends and family.
Holiday Hub: New this year, Wal-Mart is sharing how-to videos, product demos, seasonal recipes and other tips across multiple platforms where customers seek holiday inspiration, including Pinterest, YouTube and Walmart.com.
• Target
Wish List App: Target’s new app is available Oct. 31, and creates holiday wish lists for parents and kids. Children may add must-have items to their list, while parents can share the list with friends and family. The app also offers an augmented reality feature that works with Target’s Kids’ Gifting catalog. Plus, guests can save 10% on their Wish List on one day of their choosing before Nov. 26. The app can be downloaded on Apple and Android mobile and tablet devices or printed on the registry kiosks in Target stores.
App Enhancement: Target is re-launching its mobile app in time for the holidays with enhancements such as helping guests locate and purchase what they’re looking for using interactive store maps and shopping lists as well as streamlined checkout including, Apple pay in the iPhone app.