Walmart is preparing to overtake Apple in online sales

On the way to busiest shopping season According to eMarketer, Walmart is expected to overtake Apple in terms of online sales.

The largest retailer in the world, which received 3.3% of online spending in the US last year, is expected to reach 4% by the end of the year, the research firm said in a report . This would place Walmart, which includes Jet.com and Sam's Club, behind only Amazon and eBay. Apple is expected to absorb 3.9% of the expenses, against 3.8% last year.

No retailer is getting close to Amazon in ecommerce. EMarketer sets the company's share of online expenses at 48%. But the latest Walmart results show that things are progressing in areas where Amazon is weaker, such as allowing customers to buy food online.

"Walmart's e-commerce business has been making waves," said Andrew Lipsman, senior eMarketer analyst, in a blog post. "But more than anything, Walmart has taken off with a fast-growing online grocery business, which largely benefits from the massive adoption by consumers of click-and-collect technology."

Walmart posted earnings of $ 1.7 billion on revenues of $ 124.9 billion for the third quarter, slightly better than analysts' expectations. Sales in stores opened at least one year ago increased 3.4%, down from 4.5% in the US division of Walmart – the latter figure posted its best performance in more than a decade. The measure, an indicator of a retailer's health, was boosted by a 1.2% increase in the number of customers and a 2.2% increase in transactions.

Since buying Jet.com for more than $ 3 billion two years ago, Walmart has expanded its online business by acquiring brands and adding thousands of items. It has also increased delivery options and grocery shopping. The grocery store pickup is now available at nearly 2,100 of its 4,700 stores in the United States, while grocery delivery is available in nearly 600 stores.

Walmart has also revamped its website to focus on fashion and home furnishings. All this contributed to a 43% increase in online sales in the United States during the last quarter.

"We are confident in this holiday season," said Greg Foran, CEO of Walmart in the United States, at the Associated Press last week. "I think the standards, the flow of goods, our prices feel better than it was a year ago."

Under Foran, Walmart is creating a technology-based shopping experience in its stores, while transforming them into more efficient distribution centers, able to process orders online to reduce shipping costs and reduce costs. Accelerate deliveries.

Among other improvements, customers can also use digital cards on their smartphone to locate items in the stores. Workers, equipped with new applications on their mobile device, will also be able to handle routine tasks, freeing them to serve the customer or view them in key areas of the store.

"We can provide a much better customer experience because we have the right product, at the right time and at the same time, it will help us be much more accurate," Foran said.

Like other retailers, Walmart has a strong job market and growing consumer confidence. Home Depot and Macy's have increased their expectations regarding annual profits this week. They also benefit from the misfortunes of others. Toys R Us and Bon-Ton stores ceased operations, while the bankruptcy of Sears Holdings Corp. creates more opportunities to capture sales.

In fact, in the free delivery arenaWalmart was left behind during the start of the holidays. Target announced last month that it was getting rid for the first time of its threshold of 35 USD for a delivery within two days. This decision was followed by Amazon, which announced earlier this month that it would offer a two-day delivery to all buyers, including non-core customers, without requiring a $ 25 spend.

Amazon is also expanding its physical stores without a cashier, pushing Walmart and others to speed up the payment process, a source of frustration for many buyers. In time for the holidays, Walmart has implemented a program that allows staff to check customers and provide receipts on-site in the busiest areas of the store.

But the first big test of this season is the black Friday weekend.

"If you run a good store, it's an event," said Foran, who will be in a plane from 14:00. Thanksgiving visiting the shops and monitoring the sales. "It's a proxy for the stores – if you run good stores, people will want to go there."