Walmart is working on a new Amazon Prime-like subscription service.
Walmart+, the new Amazon Prime-like subscription service, was planned to see the light in March or April this year, but now, according to a report that sent the retailer’s stock soaring last week, Walmart said it’s going forward with its new subscription platform: Walmart+, a top priority for Janey Whiteside, the company’s chief customer officer, that will reportedly cost $98 a year and include same-day delivery, reserved delivery slots, Scan & Go service that would allow shoppers to check out in Walmart stores without waiting in line, gas station discounts, early access to deals, and even a credit card, Recode reported on Tuesday, citing sources. The company has yet declined to provide details about the service or its expected launch date.
According to Vox, Walmart is also unveiling an online family entertainment program called CAMP by Walmart, in partnership with the retail startup CAMP and the online video technology firm Eko. This video content, featuring celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris, Drew Barrymore, and LeBron James, will be free to all Walmart app users this summer. But the program could point to a future where similar programming is gated off for Walmart+ members. Walmart has also considered partnering with big media companies on video content perks. The coronavirus pandemic has supercharged online sales for both companies as people have sought to avoid in-person grocery shopping.
It’s important to note that more than half of Walmart top-spending families reportedly have Amazon Prime memberships, but while Walmart’s grocery business is currently larger than Amazon’s, Morning Brew reports that Walmart worries that if it doesn’t add its own subscription service, Prime’s perks could seduce its customers.
