Wal-Mart, whose shopper numbers have actually increased since the recession hit, wants more. This time it wants more in its electronics departments. It started installing new and larger displays in 3,500 stores this week, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Its stated objective is to attract shoppers who had patronized the now-bankrupt Circuit City stores. It also wants to attract shoppers from Best Buy and Amazon.com, plus the many locally owned electronics stores
The displays will especially showcase mobile phones, including top-tier products like RIM’s BlackBerry and Palm’s coming Pre along with the usual desk and laptop computers plus netbooks and such. The retailer is increasing the number of wireless products it sells by 30%, especially smartphones.
There’ll be dedicated sections for gear from Nintendo and Apple.
Wal-Mart offers premium brand products at low prices such as top-of-the-line TVs and Blu-ray players from Sony and Samsung. A Magnavox-branded Blu-ray DVD player sells for $168 and the Sony BDPS350 Blu-ray Disc Player goes for $248. It’ll also sell Dell’s new Studio One 19-inch touch-screen computers.
Kevin O’Connor, Wal-Mart’s VP of consumer electronics, told the Journal, “A few years ago, the suppliers wouldn’t even consider us for these kinds of technologies – they’d take it to Best Buy. But Wal-Mart is where the consumer is going.” Computers will be openly displayed so potential customers can try them out.
Products are also available at walmart.com with free delivery to the nearest store where buyers can pick them up. They can be delivered to the home for a shipping charge. In fact, some products are not available in stores, only online. Wal-Mart has a ways to go to catch up in market share with Best Buy, which has 22% share, the Journal said.
Gary Severson, senior VP of home entertainment, said the company has been making changes for three years “to raise the bar in our offerings and gain consumer confidence and trust as an electronics destination.”
Having top-of-the-line brands and aggressive prices, as Wal-Mart has done, is certain to attract buyers, particularly at a time when the economy is already prompting more buyers to shop there.