News Roundtable! Ari Levy (CNBC) & Rolfe Winkler (WSJ): Walmart snags Jet.com | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Walmart is struggling to catch up to Amazon in e-commerce, having missed opportunities to acquire key players in the past.

Key Insights

• 🍉 Walmart is significantly smaller than Amazon in terms of e-commerce sales.
• 🤩 The company missed opportunities to acquire key players in the e-commerce market.
• 👨‍💼 Walmart is in need of an experienced e-commerce leader to drive its online business.
• 😀 Their approach to e-commerce differs from Amazon's, focusing more on internal development rather than acquisitions.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: Why is Walmart struggling to catch up to Amazon in e-commerce?

Walmart has historically missed opportunities to acquire key players and build a strong technology platform, causing them to fall behind in the competitive e-commerce market.

Q: What is the significance of Mark Lori in the context of Walmart's e-commerce struggles?

Mark Lori is a highly experienced e-commerce executive who has competed with Amazon and worked for the company. His success in raising significant funding for his own startup indicates a belief in his abilities to turn Walmart's e-commerce business around.

Q: How has Walmart's approach to e-commerce differed from Amazon's?

Walmart has focused on acquiring smaller startups and building its online business internally, whereas Amazon has been successful in making strategic acquisitions and investing in technology to expand its e-commerce dominance.

Q: What challenges does Walmart face in catching up to Amazon in e-commerce?

Walmart faces challenges in changing its corporate culture, building a strong technology platform, and acquiring the right talent to compete effectively with Amazon in e-commerce.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Walmart has been the number two player in e-commerce by default, but is significantly smaller than Amazon in terms of sales.

• Walmart missed the opportunity to acquire companies like Diapers.com and Jet.com, ultimately losing them to Amazon.

• Walmart is in desperate need of a knowledgeable and experienced e-commerce leader to build and run its online business.