Walmart, BoA Are Top IT Spenders

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batye,
User Rank: Ninja
5/5/2015 | 2:23:49 AM

Re: Walmart, BoA Are Top IT Spenders

@zerox203 interesting point... but I would say with Walmart you never know... but in my books Walmart is a same player as Amazon...

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soozyg,
User Rank: Ninja
4/10/2015 | 9:26:16 AM

Re: more

jastroff,

actually, i've experienced those substitutions sometimes without the choice. i do remember those substitution options on the site. now when the delivery shows up, sometimes, i think, they do automatic substitutions on some items. i guess it depends on availability?

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jastroff,
User Rank: Ninja
4/9/2015 | 10:24:27 AM

Re: more

Peapod.com is an excellent example of a customer service that's gotten better in the last few years. One of the major things they did was connect their inventory system to the customer facing order screen, so it will tell you what's out of stock, which is important when you are ordering. They've made a mistake by cutting out the "customer substitution" options, but perhaps they'll phase that back in

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zerox203,
User Rank: Ninja
4/8/2015 | 11:01:01 PM

Re: Walmart, BoA Are Top IT Spenders

This definitely pulls a lot of things into perspective. Think about big IT innovators; Does Walmart come to mind at all? Even banks, who we all know have rigorous IT needs would not necessarily top most people's lists. What we have here is a referendum on the 'everyone is digital' mantra - the size of your company directly translates to the size of your IT spending. The idea of the virtualization, etc. mainstays we talk about here every day trying to court the old guard may be a bit jarring, but I have every belief that it's the truth. SoozyG adds an interesting point - these big companies have multiple 'arms'. If Wal-Mart developed it's site as a seperate business, that business needed extra IT staff, extra management, and extra infrastructure. It's that kind of scale that led Amazon to build AWS, which is now one of their biggest offerings (and coincidentally comes back into play here).

I am curious about these customer-facing offerings, though. First, we're lacking some details here. What kind of apps did Nordstrom develop? I read once about their employees carrying tablets or something similar, but that was only a pilot program at some stores, I think. Does anyone know if that's still going on? Second, I wonder how many customers are actually regular users of these kinds of in-store things. As Cafzali points out, Walmart is known for catering to certain demographics. People who want to get their shopping done fast, all in one place, and at the lowest possible price - perhaps not the most tech-inclined bunch. Heck, I'm a huge gadget geek, and I can't think of one time I've pulled out my phone in a store for any kind of "enhanced experience". It seems like everyone keeps saying that 'next year' is the big year for this to take off, but when is next year coming?

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soozyg,
User Rank: Ninja
4/8/2015 | 4:27:04 PM

Re: walmart

@cafzali

Oops! I forgot about Target! Love Target. When I lived near one I used to go in for one item and leave with $100 worth of stuff. Amazon Prime is my best friend now since I'm not close to Walmart or Target.

"From an IT perspective, though, nothing beats the sophistication of Wal-Mart Stores (the parent) when it comes to knowing what sells where. They purposefully carry different stock in different stores because they have data on sales like no one else."

--Yes, they localize very well.

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cafzali,
User Rank: Moderator
4/8/2015 | 3:33:27 PM

Re: walmart

@soozyg Attitudes about Wal-Mart seem to vary a lot, depending in large part on who the competition is where you are and how the Wal-Mart is in your area.

In my experience, in areas where real estate is more expensive, Wal-Mart generally has a poor shopping experience compared to Target, which aims at a more upscale demographic. Also, in places where labor competition is tougher, you generally get pretty poor customer service from Wal-Mart stores, but better service in Target, which pays its workers more. Wal-Mart's e-commerce operations are very good, though.

From an IT perspective, though, nothing beats the sophistication of Wal-Mart Stores (the parent) when it comes to knowing what sells where. They purposefully carry different stock in different stores because they have data on sales like no one else.

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soozyg,
User Rank: Ninja
4/8/2015 | 2:03:17 PM

Re: more

Peapod operates out of Stop & Shop (like Drugstore.com runs out of Walgreens), so if you don't have a Stop & Shop near you, you won't have Peapod. There's also Fresh Direct and Hello Fresh, but I think Hello Fresh is just about fresh produce. Maybe Google food delivery to find out what's services your area? As a single mom of 2 who works from home, delivery convenience is crucial to me!

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vnewman2,
User Rank: Ninja
4/8/2015 | 1:56:28 PM

Re: more

@soozyg - I'm not familiar with Peapod - I will certainly look it up but could you tell us all a little more? Is it only available in select areas?

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soozyg,
User Rank: Ninja
4/8/2015 | 1:46:11 PM

Re: more

Yes, being able to give fantastic customer service is the difference between repeat customers and lost customers. I use Peapod delivery service and I think I'm paying a little bit more, but their customer service is excellent and it's so damn convenient!

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vnewman2,
User Rank: Ninja
4/8/2015 | 1:11:26 PM

Re: more

I never used to shop at Nordstrom until I started working across the street from one. I must say, it is a similar experience to shopping at the Apple store. From their handy phones, they can check you out, email you your receipt, and look you up if you don't have your credit card. They're also able to quickly view inventory and find an item anywhere in the country without having to actually call a bunch of stores to do so.

It's become my go-to shopping place - even though it is a little pricer, but the experience is so much better, it is worth it to me. Most other department stores are finally starting to get the message and jump on the bandwagon but a dollar short and a day late in my book!

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