BENTONVILLE, Ark. & BRISBANE, Calif. (July 10, 2007) – Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced today that it has completed the final phase of its Site to Store national rollout to more than 3,300 stores across the country. The service, which Wal-Mart officially launched in March, allows customers to order tens of thousands of products online at Walmart.com (www.walmart.com), most of which are not available in stores, and have them shipped for free to a local Wal-Mart store.
“We’re very excited by the strong results we’ve seen during our rollout and pleased to see Wal-Mart continue to position itself as the premiere multi-channel retailer,” said Raul Vazquez, Walmart.com’s CEO. “We’ve said all along that we designed the Site to Store service to fit the way our Wal-Mart customers shop, and Wal-Mart customers have saved over $5 million in shipping fees since we officially activated Site to Store in March,” said Vazquez.
Mike Smith, Walmart.com’s senior director of operations, added, “Customers are clearly responding to the idea of purchasing online items that are not available in our Wal-Mart stores. Also, they benefit from our ability to leverage Wal-Mart’s world-class logistics network to cost-effectively move packages and deliver them to stores.”
Key Findings From Rollout
The four-month rollout has been marked by phenomenal growth in the service, rapid customer adoption and significant savings to customers who use the service. Since the national rollout began in March, Wal-Mart has seen the following:
• Approximately one-third of all Walmart.com sales have been placed through Site to Store
• More than half-a-million total units have been shipped through Site to Store, saving customers more than $5 million in shipping fees in only four months
• The service proves to be an effective online customer acquisition tool, with more than 50 percent of Site to Store orders coming from new customers who make their first purchase at Walmart.com using the service
• A twenty percent increase in the number of Site to Store customers who spend an additional $60 on purchases in the store when picking up their Site to Store orders
• As a result of transportation and packaging efficiencies, 1,000 gallons of gasoline are saved each week and 20,000 fewer boxes are used each month
Site to Store Overview
During checkout at Walmart.com, customers can choose the Site to Store option, select the store where they’ll ship their items and even see the amount saved on shipping. Items arrive in stores within 7-10 business days after the order is processed, and customers receive an automated email to indicate their order is ready for pickup. Signs with the Site to Store logo direct customers where to retrieve their order once inside the store.
To learn more about Wal-Mart’s Site to Store service, go to www.walmart.com/sitetostore.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Club locations in the United States. The Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. The Company’s securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT.
More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartfacts.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.