Retail giant Walmart has released a State of Adaptive Retail report highlighting four key trends in the industry, saying 64% of shoppers want a service that delivers orders in 30 minutes without extra delivery costs.
The report included the views of about 2,233 respondents.
The company recently introduced early morning on-demand delivery. This allows customers to receive packages on their doorstep before they start their day. Walmart is blazing a trail to stay ahead in the retail game.
Trend 1: Next-Gen convenience powered by curated choices
Walmart emphasizes that customers want to be guided through their shopping experience. “Shoppers want retailers to be ready for them – ready with hyper-specific recommendations, ready to adapt offerings to match needs, ready to deliver.”
Some advice from Walmart: Retailers who offer personalized experiences, like automatically restocking homes and pre-filling carts with favorites at the perfect moment, will come out on top.
What were the findings?
- Over half of shoppers want a tool that recommends the best products based on their space or body.
- Nearly half of shoppers want item suggestions based on their preferences, mood, weather, and schedule
- 38% of shoppers always want a virtual personal shopper; for Gen Z and parents, it rises to 50%.
What about subscriptions?
44% of parents and 42% of Gen Z are interested in receiving regularly purchased items through a subscription or auto-delivery service.
Trend 2: Multi-taskers drive everywhere shopping
In its report, Walmart points out that shopping has evolved from being a singular, focused activity to one that is done while multitasking. “Nearly half of Americans wish for the ability to purchase an item within seconds of seeing it.”
Social media is a key platform for product discovery
38%: Gen Z who frequently start their shopping journey on social media.
Gen Z also use starting shopping journey like this:
- Retailer apps/websites (40%)
- In-store browsing (42%)
- Online searches (44%)
Trend 3: Moving beyond the blend
Walmart highlights the growing demand for online retail to replicate the in-store experience and vice versa. 58% of shoppers say they won’t wait more than a day for grocery delivery.
Shoppers are looking for retailers to create a seamless shopping experience that combines the extensive product range and convenience of online shopping with the accessibility, tangibility, and immediacy of in-store shopping.
“Retailers must eliminate the need for shoppers to pick between online and in-store while creating new experiences that create a fluid journey across all channels and provide customers with faster, more convenient access to goods,” reads the report.
What in-store experiences do shoppers want online?
- 48%: Immediate access to items.
- 47%: Browsing with the ability to touch and feel products.
- 41%: Previewing or trying products before purchasing.
Online experiences shoppers want in-store
- 45% No checkout lines.
- 47%: 24/7 shopping availability.
- 28%: Easy search for all available items or inventory.
Interestingly, the report finds that nearly half of Americans prefer trying on clothes virtually rather than in a traditional dressing room.
Trend 4: Channel indifference starts with value
How are customers adapting to new retail channels?
Walmart points out customers are embracing new retail channels at different speeds across categories. Apparel shows the highest level of mixed online and in-store shopping, while most food, grocery, furniture, and outdoor item purchases still happen in-store.
Regardless of the channel, shoppers continue to prioritize price, quality, and trust.
Here are the most important aspects for consumers, whether they shop online or in-store.
- Competitive, fair pricing.
- High-quality items.
- Security of personal data.
Photo Credit: Canva
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
