Wal-Mart expands its website
LITTLE ROCK -- Wal-Mart Stores will add nearly 1 million new items through Walmart.com by including outside retailers on the site, which could help the world's largest retailer catch up online.
The Walmart Marketplace has products from categories that include home, baby, toys, apparel, sporting goods and sports memorabilia.
Retail consultant Burt Flickinger III said Wal-Mart can use online sales as a growth area, especially considering how the company's stores have saturated much of the U.S. market. He said Wal-Mart also can draw online customers from the European continent and South Korea, where it no longer has stores.
"This gives Wal-Mart a chance to close the widening gap with Amazon.com and Apple," Flickinger said.
Apple has knocked off Wal-Mart as the top music seller, and Amazon has posted healthy sales gains of late, though its second-quarter earnings in July came in below expectations. In its second quarter, Wal-Mart posted its first drop in sales at stores open at least a year, indicating a need to find new growth areas.
"Online is one key growth frontier Wal-Mart has yet to conquer," Flickinger said. Bringing in established companies is faster than the company developing such a massive addition itself, he said.
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