Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and its subsidiary, Jet.com, have launched a partnership with BuzzFeed’s Tasty App. Lisa Landsman, president of Jet.com, says that focusing on one demographic in particular has helped her company lead Wal-Mart forward in the e-commerce space.
“Obviously we are very focused on this urban, affluent consumer where our brand has really taken hold, and providing a differentiated experience, with an assortment that's not readily available in so many other places online,” she said.
The year-old partnership has paid off for Wal-Mart. In the latest quarter earnings, it grew its online sales by 50 percent. WalMart is also selling over 70 million items, triple what it sold last year. Jet.com launched its everyday essentials line, Uniquely J, earlier this fall. The line, which features edgy packaging designs and premium ingredients, is an effort to target a younger customer, and compete with Amazon’s private label division.
Companies have been actively trying to counter Amazon’s e-commerce empire, which continues to dominate the industry quarter after quarter. The new deal with Buzzfeed’s Tasty app is expected to boost WalMart’s numbers, as the do-it-yourself platform has over 91 million followers across social media.
Landsman tells Cheddar that Jet.com’s partnership with Wal-Mart is successful because their targets are different. She says that Wal-Mart’s focus is rural, while Jet.com focuses on expanding the company’s millennials, urban, and affluent reach.
Wal-Mart acquired Jet.com in October of 2016.
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
