How Walmart Launched Its New B2B eCommerce Site

One of the world’s largest retailers is launching a new B2B eCommerce site aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. A smart move to diversify revenue by increasing the share of business customers.

The brand-new eCommerce site, called Walmart Business, is designed to offer a one-stop shop for office supplies, furniture, food, and electronics. For busy procurement managers, that means more convenience, visibility, and ease of purchasing. The B2B site is built to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofit organizations. It will not only help attract new customers, but also serve existing ones by streamlining purchasing.

A phased approach to B2B eCommerce

Drawing on its B2C eCommerce expertise and know-how, Walmart took a gradual approach to the B2B eCommerce project and quietly launched business.wallmart.com without taking unnecessary risks. Walmart spent several months understanding the needs of small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofit organizations before rolling out the red carpet. Based on customer and user feedback, Walmart launched the site in January 2023 and is now looking to accelerate growth through its new B2B site.

The website now includes more than 100,000 items for B2B buyers looking to buy supplies, restock, and feed their employees. Walmart Business offers multi-user accounts with the option to add up to 5 users to a single account. Customers can also share information, order history, and purchasing permissions across teams. These key B2B eCommerce features help improve visibility, transparency, and process productivity for customers.

One of the advantages of a modern B2B eCommerce site is its ability to help customers save time and money while making their online experience smooth and simple.

According to Ashley Habka, senior vice president and general manager of Walmart Business, the B2B site was "designed to make the most of Walmart" and to "remove complexity from purchasing." Building on Walmart’s best practices in distribution and store networks, the B2B eCommerce solution leverages the proximity of its stores and distribution network, as well as its e-commerce, fulfillment, and delivery technologies.

Taking a B2C approach, the Walmart Business homepage displays the visitor’s ZIP code and a link to the nearest Walmart store, along with the question: "How would you like to receive your items?" Three icons are shown for "shipping," "pickup," and "delivery." With visual product imagery across key categories and product groups, Walmart is bringing its B2C experience to B2B eCommerce.

Getting ahead of the competition

During the coronavirus pandemic, giants like Amazon, Costco, and Staples doubled down on efforts to attract small businesses. Walmart is now catching up when it comes to small and medium-sized businesses. According to Wall Street analysts, the main challenge for the big-box retailer is identifying untapped markets and finding new sources of demand. Despite 17% revenue growth in the fourth quarter, analysts remain pessimistic about Walmart, at least when it comes to the stock price. They believe Walmart will remain a slow-growing giant in the long term.

Large retailers are becoming more aware of the need to diversify revenue in these challenging times of inflation and supply chain disruption. As the market shifts toward digital demands, companies must adapt and respond to these changes before it’s too late.

Walmart is entering B2B eCommerce by making the customer buying journey easier and simpler. According to Walmart, the B2B site initiative will benefit the company as a whole, because it believes there is a significant market opportunity.

See how deSter is diversifying its revenue with its B2B eCommerce site. We partner with leading retailers and franchise operators to help them go to market quickly with simple, fast B2B eCommerce platforms that streamline operations and processes and drive sales. Get in touch today.

Sources: Walmart Business, Bloomberg, Digital Commerce 360°.

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