Walmart is hoping a major overhaul of its website will make for a more pleasant browsing experience and ultimately drive sales.
Online shoppers will see the newly designed site in May, which the company promises will offer “a cleaner and more modern digital shopping experience.”
Describing it as “a dramatic step change,” Walmart said that besides the addition of new fonts and colors, it’s also introducing “relatable photography” to its website that showcases “real-life moments.” No, we don’t think it’ll go as far as showing toddlers regurgitating their breakfast down the back of mom or dad, but do expect glossy imagery from various areas of family life and other everyday situations.
Interestingly, a look at the new homepage — shown above — reveals the removal of the company’s name. Its logo, however, stays firmly in place.
As it seeks to take the fight to online-shopping rivals such as Amazon, Walmart insists the redesign goes far beyond mere looks. It’s also planning to add more local and personalized elements, claiming that “the majority of the homepage will be personalized in some way.”
This includes the expansion of its recently launched “specialty shopping experiences” feature that uses algorithms to understand how a customer interacts with the site, enabling it to present what it hopes will be engaging content. The company has already launched a home specialty experience and will soon unveil a new one for fashion, featuring “relevant, bold imagery and seasonal stories.” Additional experiences are being planned for later this year, the company said.
Another new section will highlight top-selling items in a customer’s location, while the new site will also include information about their nearest Walmart store, including the availability of services such as online grocery delivery.
From what Walmart is saying, it seems like brands will have a greater input into how their goods are presented on the site, with additional content allowing those brands “to better tell their stories.”
While many Walmart regulars will already have the store’s mobile app on their smartphone, some still prefer to hit shopping websites using a desktop or laptop. For those shoppers, the company hopes its new-look site will win custom from its web-based rivals as it seeks to further establish its online presence.
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