Speaking at the Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce WalStreet Speaker Series, Stephen Quinn, chief marketing officer at Wal-Mart US told a room full of delegates and including many of its delegates that there was no time to lose in the rapidly evolving retail sector.
He then challenged his suppliers to partner with them as the retailer looks to integrate multiple retail channels and provide genuine customer satisfaction.
“Take the Scotts lawn business. I can see Wal-Mart partnering with them on a YouTube commercial, as an example,” Quinn said.
“Think of Wal-Mart as an experience platform, that you can work with for retail development kit. Seek us out proactively and increase scorecard performance.”
He added that Wal-Mart would be looking to align strategies with its suppliers as they plan a full calendar year of digital and in-store initiatives.
The retailer is currently running a low-cost ad campaign, which is being filmed in different cities across the US each week and is costing the company around 90% less than last year’s advertising campaign.
“More people watch YouTube than scripted television, and our ad campaign feels more like a reality show, which is resonating well with our customers. It’s been the most successful marketing tool we have seen to drive home the low price message,” Quinn said.