Should Amazon Worry About Walmart+?

Amazon Prime has dominated retail membership thinking for so long we can forget there are other similar programs. Of course, Costco and the other warehouse clubs require membership to shop, and Target and others have started similar programs. As Walmart reports results and basks in favorable media coverage, we update our comparison of Prime to Walmart+, and we find Walmart+ is continuing to grow in important ways.

Walmart+ offers free and expedited shipping and other shopping benefits for $99 per year. While its total membership falls far below that of Amazon Prime, it has come on strong.

Specifically, in the most recent twelve-month period, 43% of Walmart.com customers reported having a Walmart+ membership. This is almost double the rate from three years ago, when about 23% of Walmart.com shoppers were Walmart+ members (Chart 1).