Walmart Continues to Evolve (Editorial)

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Walmart’s planned $2.3 billion purchase of TV manufacturer Vizio, announced late last month, demonstrates the retailer’s resolve to, as one analyst said, stay on the offense.

The Bentonville retailer seeks to leverage the changing nature of the advertising market, which has shifted from platforms like Alphabet, the parent company of Google, and Meta Platforms, parent of Facebook, to retailers like Amazon and Kroger.

As Insider Intelligence explains: “Retail media is digital advertising operated by retailers who act as media channels by publishing ads on their own assets or third-party publishers. It also includes media content powered by the retailer’s first-party shopper data.”

Walmart’s purchase of Vizio would give the retailer access to the TV maker’s SmartCast operating system, allowing Walmart to display ads on streaming devices.
The retail media market is forecast to reach $59.6 billion in the U.S. this year, an almost 30% increase over last year. Walmart is already in the advertising business, through Walmart Connect. Revenue from its global advertising business reached $3.4 billion in the year ended in January, up 28% over the previous year.

It wants an even bigger piece of the retail media pie.

Retail is changing. Walmart is too. It’s evolving. That’s what successful companies do.