Retail Membership Preferences

Membership programs have become a top priority for businesses to obtain higher customer retention. According to new data from Numerator, 62% of US households subscribe to at least one retail membership. For who comes out on top, Amazon Prime leads by a wide margin as 54% of households subscribe to this service, followed by Walmart+ at 8%. The majority of households subscribe to only one program (80%), followed by two programs at 14%. While 78% of Prime members indicate they do not subscribe to other retail membership programs, 73% of Walmart+ subscribers also have Amazon Prime. A rising player in the market, Shipt Everyday is mentioned as the third most popular retail membership with consumers citing same-day delivery as a key benefit to membership. (View source)

Walmart+ Exclusive Event

In an effort to gain Amazon Prime retail membership market share, Walmart is launching an exclusive event for their Walmart+ members. Dubbed “Walmart+ Weekend” the event will run June 2^nd through 5^th, offering deep discounts on thousands of items including electronics, apparel, outdoor fun, and many more. Customers that sign up to become a Walmart+ member within a store, during the event period, will receive a $20 off code for their first online purchase. Will this be successful in adding members to the Walmart+ membership? (View source)

Online Return Charges

Consumers are returning items more than ever, in response to this, companies are now starting to charge for mail-in returns, citing environmental reasons for the introduction. A new study from parcelLab indicates that 43% of retailers charge for returns, 59% charging more than $10. In apparel retail, this number is quite less as they are exchanging clothes rather than heavier physical objects like toys or houseware – Uniqlo charges $7 and Urban Outfitters charges $5, while places like Belk and Wayfair make customers responsible for return shipping costs. In an attempt to improve upon this process, Zara UK has introduced a $2.50 fee to return an item via mail, but simply reduces the cost from the customer return amount. As sustainability rises to the forefront in many aspects of life, 64% of US consumers are willing to pay extra when returning an item to subsidize greener carrier options. (View source)

Uber Tests Autonomous Vehicles

Uber is building out its key to future profitability, automation technology. Two projects for Uber Eats is launching in the greater LA area – mini four wheeled robots utilized for short trip food deliveries, and self-driving cars for longer delivery distances. Uber claims, even in the future, robot deliveries will only account for “a very, very small number of our deliveries”, according to Noah Zych, leader of their autonomous mobility and delivery department. They would be utilized to make it more affordable by a manner of completing unwanted deliveries, like picking up dry cleaning or traveling long distances. While they did plan to develop self-driving vehicles internally, the company sold that function off to Aurora in 2020, remaining an active investor and working with them to build robotaxis. (View source)

Gushers Metaverse Sneakers

Photo Source: Business Wire

All companies have been developing their own plans for Web 3.0 and the Metaverse, Gushers, owned by General Mills, is looking to join the fray through digital twins. In collaboration with Italian design studio, RAL7000STUDIO, the sneaker is inspired by the colors and creativity of Gushers. Featured within the Metaverse destination ComplexLand, fans will be sent on a “Sole Quest” that requires them to find a special code. Once found, the code will review if they won virtual items and a chance to win the sneakers in real life. (View source)

Thanks for reading!

Follow the latest industry trends with insights straight from our experts: BDS Marketing Blog.