Walmart started charging higher prices online than in store for some items, in an effort to offset shipping costs and drive more shoppers to its brick-and-mortar locations.
Business Insider reported that some products on Walmart.com will be listed with both “online” and “in-store” prices. The big-box retailer is experimenting with new systems that raise prices on items that would otherwise be unprofitable to ship.
Another way Walmart is aiming to increase the profitability of its online operations is by asking merchants on its marketplace to sell more of their products in bulk.
MCM Musings: Raising prices for online products is an interesting move in a climate where retailers tout a “seamless experience” across the board. When most of the focus in retail is on breaking down channel silos, Walmart appears to be erecting one, even if the idea is to offset shipping costs. It will be interesting to see how shoppers react to this move, and how many of them opt for savings by choosing the somewhat less convenient in-store pickup.
We saw this while shopping at walmart.com lately for canned goods and personal care items. We downsized to one car, and have been trying to move to a more simplified and greener lifestyle. Ended up going to a bricks-and-mortar Walmart, but some of the items we needed were out-of-stock (which has been a problem with Walmart the last couple years, why we were ordering online). In the end bought some items at the store, and ordered the out-of-stock items online. The online ordered items were Walmart brand(diabetic test strips) so we couldn’t buy anywhere else, but the online and in-store prices were the same and over the minimum free shipping amount.