Walmart is counting down to the launch of its brand new website, and the big-box retailer provided a first look on Tuesday.
In a post on the company’s blog, Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. e-commerce, offered an overview of the new look and functions, which will roll out in May. The biggest reveal will be the addition of Lord & Taylor.
The two companies announced their unconventional partnership in October. The collaboration will see Lord & Taylor product on Walmart’s site, ostensibly giving the mass retailer immediate fashion credibility. In return, the department store gets e-commerce muscle it couldn’t build on its own. Though questions still remain about just how consumers will perceive the crossover, Lore said it will be the flagship of Walmart’s “specialty shopping experience.”
For fashion, as it did with home, Lore said the retailer will create a “destination” with better images and storytelling. “We want each category to feel like you are shopping a specialty store and we plan to build out these specialty experiences for other categories starting later this year,” he said.
Site-wide, he said, shoppers can expect to find items that reflect the specific tastes of their region thanks to dynamic homepages that will personalize shoppers’ offerings. The site will also highlight the features of the closest Walmart store and allow for easy reorder on goods consumers purchase most.
Aesthetically, the new site will look more “human” thanks to lifestyle photography and a more vibrant design. “Our goal is to make it compelling for customers to shop for whatever they are looking for–whether diapers, laundry detergent or a new dining room table,” Lore said.
Lore didn’t mention whether Bonobos, Modcloth or any of Walmart’s other recent apparel acquisitions would round out the fashion destination, but he noted during last month’s ShopTalk retail convention that the company remains in “acquisition mode.”