Wal-Mart

In this month's edition of SmartBear Software's Retailer Web Performance Report Card, I once again analyze and highlight recent website performance for the top 50 retailers. With the help of SmartBear's AlertSite, I've looked at website response times, accounting for elapsed time for all website objects including images, JavaScript, Flash and third-party objects, collected from various dispersed locations in the first two weeks of March. I also looked at the all-important website availability percentage that measures site accessibility. The lucky (and not so lucky) highlighted retailers this month are Target and J.Crew, respectively.

Big box is so last decade. That's why Wal-Mart is upping the ante on its expansion efforts with smaller stores. According to Bill Simon, head of Wal-Mart's U.S. division, who spoke on an industry conference call yesterday, "They compete really well against multiple channels," including competitors such as Dollar General, Walgreens and supermarkets. Simon said the company plans to add 115 new outlets that have less than 60,000 square feet of selling space this year. Wal-Mart's not abandoning the big box yet, however. Simon says to expect 125 supercenters to open this year, too.

President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Wal-Mart's Sylvia Mathews Burwell as his next budget chief, thrusting her into the center of Washington's heated partisan budget battles. Obama announced Burwell's selection to lead the Office of Management and Budget during a White House ceremony, noting that her appointment comes as government-wide spending cuts are going into effect that he said mean "eventually a lot of people are going to feel some pain." The White House and congressional Republicans were unable to reach a deal to avert the cuts ahead of last Friday's deadline.

Wal-Mart is "anxious" to take on Amazon.com's Marketplace, where independent merchants sell millions of products. According to minutes from a Feb. 1 officers meeting led by U.S. Chief Executive Officer Bill Simon, Wal-Mart considers Marketplace Amazon's "number one weapon." "This is an area" Wal-Mart is "anxious to compete in," according to the minutes, which were obtained by Bloomberg News. Participants at the meeting also focused on the savings Amazon has captured by offloading shipping costs to its army of independent sellers.

A federal judge in Nashville, Tenn. said Wednesday that Wal-Mart Stores’ female employees in Tennessee and four other southern states cannot pursue sex-discrimination claims against the retailer through a class-action lawsuit. The class action is being denied because it was filed too late.

Problems for America's biggest retailer have Wall Street worried about the strength of the economy.

Sure, go ahead and regift that present your friend bought for you at Wal-Mart, but whatever you do, don't return it. The world's largest retailer is apparently slacking off on giving full refunds to customers with gift receipts, at least according to a recent report by CBS Boston. When a producer from the network attempted to return a TV originally purchased for $248 using a gift receipt, she was only able to get back $228 — the unit's new on-sale price. 

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer and the biggest private employer in the U.S. with 1.4 million workers here, said Tuesday that it's rolling out a three-part plan to help jump-start the sluggish U.S. economy. The plan includes hiring more than 100,000 veterans in the next five years, spending $50 billion to buy more American-made merchandise in the next 10 years and helping its part-time workers move into full-time positions.

Wal-Mart's recent price comparison advertisements may be enticing consumers, but the promotions are also angering competitors. Toys"R"Us and Best Buy, two retailers targeted in the Wal-Mart ads, are taking action by making complaints to attorneys general in several states against the discount retailer. Wal-Mart Spokesperson Steve Restivo confirmed the retailer was contacted by Michigan, Illinois, Missouri and Pennsylvania regarding its rivals’ complaints, but no legal action has been taken by any of the states or the retailers beyond letters and the conversations that were exchanged.

This helpful guide offers cross-channel retailers the opportunity to learn from experts in their space on a variety of topics critical to running a successful (i.e., profitable) business, including mobile marketing, operations and fulfillment, search engine marketing, and much more!