Difference between Walmart and Amazon.com
Online shopping is unarguably one of the welcome conveniences afforded by the Internet, and numerous companies have risen up to meet the demands of the ever-growing online shopping market. Two of the biggest names in the industry are Amazon.com and Walmart, the latter of which has moved beyond its physical stores and begun to offer a variety of merchandise online. Which of these two is worth spending your online shopping dollars on? Let's take a look!
Services
Amazon.com is one of the most recognizable names in the online retail industry. The site’s marketplace allows customers to purchase a wide variety of items online. And with a slew of third-party merchants in its roster, Amazon.com is a formidable presence indeed. Walmart is just as widely known of course, albeit in the real world. The company is a familiar name in the retail industry thanks to its numerous stores throughout the county and the world, and its recent move into the online world took many by surprise. Walmart now offers the same online shopping service as Amazon.com and other online retailers do, and it is clear that the company poses some serious competition.
Market Share
Walmart has recently added more than one million new items to its online catalog, which is bound to get the site some market attention. This is in line with the company’s goal of becoming the most visited retail site on the Internet. As to whether or not this will allow the company to grab a portion of the lucrative online market dominated by Amazon.com and other sites remains to be seen. Amazon.com definitely isn't taking the challenge lying down, having just recently (2009) racked up 1.7 million active marketplace sellers. Considering that the figure accounts for sellers and not merely items, it appears that Walmart has its work cut out for it.
Benefit
Both Walmart and Amazon.com offer the benefits of easy and convenient online shopping, although you do have to ask yourself if it isn't easier to just go down to the local department store to pick up what you need, whether it is from Walmart or any other store. That being said, shopping online for non-critical items may be a better idea, as it can save you a lot of money. Both Walmart and Amazon.com offer similar prices, although there may be slight variances with certain items.
Similarities and Differences
Walmart
- Offers similar prices as Amazon.com
- Started out as a brick-and-mortar retailer but has now gone on to online retailing
- Offers Walmart Marketplace merchandise on its website.
- Has more than one million new items in its online inventory
Amazon.com
- Has been in the online retail business longer than Walmart and almost every other online retailer
- Just like on Amazon’s Marketplace, shoppers can buy Walmart Marketplace merchandise on Wal-Mart’s Web site.
- Amazon.com says it currently has 1.7 million active marketplace sellers
