Walmart trying "Order by text message service" for $50 a month! Pathetic and pointless!

[S2007S]

Walmart trying to play catch-up and doing it all wrong with this one....a service that costs $50 a month to have a personal shopper offer you recommendations, are people that in need of a personal shopper for $50 a month...I highly doubt it. ..Walmart is really trying to hard now to compete and this new idea being completely useless. No one is going to pay hundreds a year for a pathetic personal shopper to send you useless gift ideas that some algorithm is probably putting together....



Order by text message: Walmart rolls out Jetblack, a members-only personal shopping service


Walmart is rolling out a new service, through its Store No. 8 incubator, where shoppers can order items over the phone via text message.

Known as Jetblack, the platform has quietly been in beta mode in the New York area. It will now be opened up to more applicants in New York who wish to become members, before expanding to other U.S. markets. The retailer made the announcement Thursday at its annual shareholders meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The start-up is being led by Rent the Runway co-founder Jenny Fleiss, who joined Walmart last year to lead the initiative.

Jetblack will cost members $50 per month to have access to personal shoppers who will offer recommendations when a person texts, "I need a gift for my 10-year-old daughter's birthday party," for example. The shopper can then choose from the photos of items sent to them via text. From there, an order can be placed — again, over text message.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/31/text-to-order-walmart-rolls-out-jetblack-a-members-only-service.html

 

[Scataphagos]

$600/year just for some app to tell you what you should buy? (That's a lot of burritos!)

A "turd in the punchbowl" would go over better than this notion. Sooo stupid as to be borderline comical.

 

[toc]

$600/year just for some app to tell you what you should buy? (That's a lot of burritos!)

Sooo stupid as to be borderline comical.

You don't get the point, when they talk to a customer service giving recommendations, then they will try to push the most expensive product or one with highest margin for Walmart.........down the wallet of the buyer.

Ever walked into Staples Business Depot, the sales folks on floor will always direct you to the more expensive item.

However, $60/month fees are stiff and more so by Walmart standards.

 

[OptionsOptionsOptions]

Perhaps that includes shipping.

 

[Simples]

Reminds me when banks heard about the internet and started raising fees to afford offering their own webinterface. Totally clueless, and run over by pure netbanks.

 

[LS1Z28]

This is actually pretty interesting. The membership offers free same day shipping. $50 per month is pretty steep, but some people hate shopping. It would be really nice to never have to go shopping for household goods and non-refrigerated groceries.

It seems like a service in it's infancy stage. It probably needs to evolve more before having a real impact. This is the direction we're heading though. Some day we'll never have to leave our homes if we choose not to.

 

[sss12]

Walmart trying to play catch-up and doing it all wrong with this one....a service that costs $50 a month to have a personal shopper offer you recommendations, are people that in need of a personal shopper for $50 a month...I highly doubt it. ..Walmart is really trying to hard now to compete and this new idea being completely useless. No one is going to pay hundreds a year for a pathetic personal shopper to send you useless gift ideas that some algorithm is probably putting together....



Order by text message: Walmart rolls out Jetblack, a members-only personal shopping service


Walmart is rolling out a new service, through its Store No. 8 incubator, where shoppers can order items over the phone via text message.

Known as Jetblack, the platform has quietly been in beta mode in the New York area. It will now be opened up to more applicants in New York who wish to become members, before expanding to other U.S. markets. The retailer made the announcement Thursday at its annual shareholders meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The start-up is being led by Rent the Runway co-founder Jenny Fleiss, who joined Walmart last year to lead the initiative.

Jetblack will cost members $50 per month to have access to personal shoppers who will offer recommendations when a person texts, "I need a gift for my 10-year-old daughter's birthday party," for example. The shopper can then choose from the photos of items sent to them via text. From there, an order can be placed — again, over text message.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/31/text-to-order-walmart-rolls-out-jetblack-a-members-only-service.html

Actually WMT's JET (predecessor to Black ?) has been a huge success with the budget crowd. Your expert retail opinion aside, I don't think WMT went into this market blindly.

 

[S2007S]

Told you it wouldn't last. Predicted this one with ease.

Why would walmart even think this would work?



https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/13/walmart-will-discontinue-high-end-jetblack-service-this-month.html

Walmart trying to play catch-up and doing it all wrong with this one....a service that costs $50 a month to have a personal shopper offer you recommendations, are people that in need of a personal shopper for $50 a month...I highly doubt it. ..Walmart is really trying to hard now to compete and this new idea being completely useless. No one is going to pay hundreds a year for a pathetic personal shopper to send you useless gift ideas that some algorithm is probably putting together....



Order by text message: Walmart rolls out Jetblack, a members-only personal shopping service


Walmart is rolling out a new service, through its Store No. 8 incubator, where shoppers can order items over the phone via text message.

Known as Jetblack, the platform has quietly been in beta mode in the New York area. It will now be opened up to more applicants in New York who wish to become members, before expanding to other U.S. markets. The retailer made the announcement Thursday at its annual shareholders meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The start-up is being led by Rent the Runway co-founder Jenny Fleiss, who joined Walmart last year to lead the initiative.

Jetblack will cost members $50 per month to have access to personal shoppers who will offer recommendations when a person texts, "I need a gift for my 10-year-old daughter's birthday party," for example. The shopper can then choose from the photos of items sent to them via text. From there, an order can be placed — again, over text message.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/31/text-to-order-walmart-rolls-out-jetblack-a-members-only-service.html

 

[wrbtrader]

The service is intended for wealthy people that will also send shoppers items from other retailers, such as Saks, Bluemercury, Pottery Barn and they hope to expand to other stores typically shopped by affluent individuals (particular moms).

Regardless, it still doesn't make sense to me which is why they're only testing it at a few stores.

The wealthy people I know that shop at Walmart...tend to use Walmart for items they typically can not get at stores typically for the affluent or as a one place shop instead of shopping at multiple different stores.

wrbtrader