Photo: Walmart
Walmart has a lot of plans in place to drive sales during the holiday season, including an expanded assortment of products in stores and online and free two-day shipping on millions of items. “Holiday helpers” will be positioned in stores to help customers find the shortest checkout line, pick up online orders in stores and more. Walmart also plans to throw more than 20,000 parties at its Supercenters throughout the season.
The parties, each with an individual theme, will kick off this weekend with a “Toys that Rock” celebration. Customers who stop by Walmart on Saturday, Nov. 4 will get a copy of the retailer’s annual toys catalog along with sticker sheets for kids to identify their favorites.
In the toy departments, kids will be invited to play with hot toys for the holiday and take selfies with Santa. Saint Nick will have a busy season at Walmart. The retailer says he’ll be making 24,000 visits to its stores during the season.
The second themed in-store celebration Walmart has planned is “Parties that Rock.” At the event, scheduled for Dec. 2, the retailer will provide tips for customers who want to throw holiday parties that will be remembered well past the new year.
The third party, named “Gifts that Rock” and scheduled for Dec. 16, will feature displays of curated assortments of top gifts.
The retailer is placing greater emphasis on product demonstrations with more than 165,000 planned during the season. Expanded product assortment, holiday helpers, parties and demos are all part of Walmart’s plan to double-down on its in-store experience, according to Walmart’s chief marketing officer Tony Rogers (via USA Today).
While Walmart is playing up the advantage of having thousands of stores across the country, the retailer has also greatly expanded its online selection, adding brands such as Bose, Cuisinart, KitchenAid and Yankee Candle to its lineup. Walmart has also made deals to offer “more exclusives” online and off than ever before.
"This is our first holiday season with [free] two-day shipping [on orders over $35], and an expanded online grocery assortment," Steve Bratspies, chief merchandising officer of Walmart U.S., told CNBC. "It's the biggest and best year, yet, when it comes to merchandise."