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Taking different approaches to the wellness opportunity, Walmart this week introduced “Better Care Services” -- an online platform connecting customers to health care providers -- while Target announced plans to ramp up its wellness offerings by 30%.
Walmart Expands Health Care Options Virtually
Walmart on Thursday introduced "Better Care Services," a digital platform that offers access to third-party providers for urgent care through providers like Doctor On Demand, mental health support through resources such as BetterHelp, and metabolic health via LillyDirect, Eli Lilly’s digital health platform. Following the virtual consultation, prescriptions can be filled and scheduled for delivery (or pickup) through Walmart.
The Better Care Services platform also includes Nutrition Hub, an AI-driven tool providing personalized food and recipe recommendations for healthier choices.
Walmart is also expanding its wellness assortments across categories while instituting price rollbacks on over 1,000 wellness products. This assortment ranges from food to supplements, over-the-counter products, and fitness essentials.
Online, customers can explore more than 400 affordable “New Year reset” recipes online, plus expanded options for popular specialty diets like keto, high-protein, and gluten-free. In store, Walmart is again hosting its Wellness Event on the last Saturday in January, offering free health screenings.
“Whether it’s the care you access, the food you buy or the products you rely on, our goal is to make wellness easier,” said Ralph Clare, SVP, health and wellness merchandising for Walmart. “Customers should not have to choose between convenience, affordability and care, and at Walmart, they don’t have to.”
Target Doubles Down on Wellness Assortments
Target’s 30% hike in wellness offerings across food and beverage, beauty, supplements, vitamins, apparel, sporting goods, and tech builds on similar expansions in January in 2024 and 2025 as it “strengthens its position as the destination for everyday wellbeing.”
The wellness push continues to prioritize exclusive offerings, including this year through planned partnerships in categories like sporting goods and wearable tech, as well as affordability, with “thousands of items under $10.”
Among newer components of its wellness initiative:
- The first-ever “Target Wellness Week,” offering a wide range of promotions on wellness categories is being held in the first week of 2026.
- In-store wellness events are being held for the first time in January, with product sampling and giveaways from its private-label food, active and outdoor ranges.
- The recently launched JoyLab Glow Studio private label apparel and accessories range is being positioned at the front of the store with curated cross-category wellness displays featured throughout aisles.
- Online, a refreshed “Wellness Hub” tool, offers personalized recommendations while a revamped "Eat Well Your Way" tool lets guests shop by dietary preferences, such as protein, fiber and gluten-free.
- Target’s new marketing campaign, “Wellness, Perfectly Picked for You,” highlights the new brands and exclusive wellness offerings.
"About 70% of guests are already shopping wellness at Target and right in time for the new year, we're bringing them even more newness and value by adding some of the most trusted, relevant and inspiring brands across our assortment," said Lisa Roath, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer of food, essentials and beauty, Target.