translated from Spanish: The commitment of Walmart to adapt to new trends in Chilean consumer

This year, Walmart Chile celebrates 10 years in the industry of r eTail in our country as Express leader, leader, SuperBodega, Ekono supermarkets matrix aCuenta and Central wholesaler, which has allowed to offer alternatives appropriate to different customer segments, from Arica to Punta Arenas with great success.
And as part of the celebrations, organized the first “Walmart Media Day” to explain key aspects of the transformational process that is experiencing the company, which has been listed as “the greatest ever”, to make front to the challenges of the retail of the future, where purchases are increasingly less face-to-face and cell acquires ever greater role.
The instance – developed at the offices of the company in city business – counted with the participation of the CEO of Walmart Chile, Horacio Barbeito; the co-founder of Cornershop, Juan Pablo Cuevas; the commercial Manager of Walmart Chile, Alejandro König; and the Marketing Manager of Walmart Chile, Matías Puente, who addressed the development in our country of the so-called “last mile” – concept that refers to the last link in the logistics chain of eCommerce – and the new Chilean consumer trends.
To open the day, Horacio Barbeito stressed some important figures getting 51 thousand supporters in this decade. “At the beginning of 2009, arrived to the country with the mission that distinguishes Walmart in the world: saving money to our customers so they can live better”, said in his speech, which also stressed that in these ten years have created more than 14 thousand jobs becoming the third largest private employer in the country.
“We not only want to be leaders in job creation, but we have the firm purpose of being the best company to work in Chile. We are convinced that as a company can be a contribution to the development of the country and it is a role that we take very seriously”, he said.
In 2019, Walmart Chile will create 3 thousand 700 direct and indirect jobs, associated with the opening of new premises, the start of operations of the center of El Peñón distribution, online purchase and withdrawal in store Pickup and its platform service website Lider.cl.
It was digital
Similarly, Barbeito stressed that while the work done in these 10 years has allowed them to lead a highly competitive industry, the world is changing and customers also. “The key is to listen to them. Know what they want, when and how want you and offer what you are looking for. Changes are dizzying and in an era marked by digitalization and the emergence of consumer hiperconetados, the solution is – without a doubt – the omnicanalidad”, added the CEO of Walmart Chile.
The transformation of customers is without doubt one of the great challenges for the retail, with the growth of e-commerce that changed the relationship between the consumer and the trade. By some 45% of online transactions are made via a smartphone, in a market that reached the 5 thousand 200 million dollars last year.
For the company, the development of digital solutions is a key factor for growth. In that vein, Pickup has established itself as the main driver of the growth of electronic commerce of Walmart, with 300% sales growth in the last year. During the first half of this year, more than 30 new Pickup stations will join the 39 existing in 13 regions of the country.
Artificial Intelligence is also part of what the company has introduced to better solve problems posed by the retail of the future. This is how it has joined Zippedi, a robot – created by entrepreneurs Chileans-doing night tours in the showrooms prices and the existence of products without stock or poorly located. Technology that installs at Walmart Chile at the forefront of the global retail and confirms to Chile as an important innovation, since it is a national development that even to received visits from the United States to study its possible incorporation into premises of that country.
The Cornershop factor
Without a doubt, the acquisition of Cornershop’s Walmart has been a milestone for the company. Currently, the service is present in 47 communes in the regions of Metropolitana, Coquimbo, Valparaíso and Biobío, reaching places where the penetration of e-commerce was well below the average.
The co-founder of the successful application, Juan Pablo Cuevas, was present at the “Walmart Media Day” and said the keys to the success of the application – acquired by Walmart last year by a total of nearly US $225 million – which came to revolutionize the business of the ult IMA mile in Chile.
The closure of the day was in charge of sales managers and Marketing of Walmart Chile, Alejandro König and Matías Puente, respectively, who explained how the new generations have changing purchase patterns, what has driven the industry retail to give a leading role to the innovation and the search for new technological solutions for conquering the preference of customers.

Original source in Spanish