Yesterday, Walmart launched a new online “Premium Outdoor Store” curated by Moosejaw, the outdoor retailer that the mega-chain purchased last February.
Moosejaw is the first of Walmart’s many recent acquisitions to get its own designated storefront on the Walmart website, offering a glimpse of the discount retailer’s long-term strategy to take on Amazon.
At first glance, Moosejaw (acquired for $51m) may seem like a small part of Walmart’s digital strategy compared to other big acquisitions like Jet.com ($3B) or Flipkart ($16B).
But Walmart needs to move past its reputation for discount products — and to do that it must attract up-market shoppers, like those who buy $1.5k jackets at brand-name subsidiaries like Moosejaw.
As Walmart continues to scale its other trendy small acquisitions, like Bonobos and ModCloth, it will work hard to preserve their brand value.
The ‘Mart has countered Amazon’s move into the brick and mortar space with a digital affront of its own.
Aside from its acquisition spree, the company has started prioritizing partnerships, joining forces with Lord & Taylor to offer the department store’s premium fashion and accessory brands.
But copying Amazon’s online marketplace isn’t enough. Walmart is also trying to replicate Bezos’ bread and butter: books. Last month, they launched an online eBook store with Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten. Its new service is cheaper than Amazon’s.