The back-to-school season is a busy time for merchants, and you’d expect any opportunity to make the process more efficient and engaging to be welcomed by parents, students and sellers alike.
This was the thinking at @WalmartLabs “” formerly Kosmix, until the California-based firm was acquired by Wal-Mart Stores last April for a reported $300 million . The research group’s stated goal is “redefining eCommerce” by combining retail with innovative social and mobile features, and as Vice President of Products Ravi Raj explains, that’s basically what’s happening with Labs’ new back-to-school platform.
Called Classrooms by Walmart, the platform replaces the old paper flyers that schools used to tape at the end of each school supply aisle with online listings for each specific product being requested by the teacher. There’s free shipping for certain order sizes, alternative product suggestions (in case you don’t want to buy the whole 64-color crayon set) “” even a teacher “wish list” that lets educators tell parents about how they can help equip the classroom for a year of learning.
It’s socially connected, Raj explains, because parents can let others know when they make a purchase by connecting to Facebook. And you can bring the shopping list up on your phone while you’re in the store, to tie in mobile.
Listen to the full audio interview with WalmartLabs’ Ravi Raj for an in-depth look at one of Walmart’s newest eCommerce plays, and insights as to what this new platform might mean for the future of Walmart’s eCommerce operations.
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