Did you know that Walmart has its own Vision Center to purchase eyewear? It’s shocking, isn’t it? But this is just the tip of the iceberg; there are many intriguing facts about Walmart that you don’t know.
Walmart is one of the largest retail store chains in the world as of 2024. Importantly, from a single store to being the most popular global store, Walmart has come a long way. Hence, it’s only obvious that people get curious about this store. But don’t worry; this blog will satisfy your curiosity.
This blog will explore 20 fascinating facts about Walmart. I will be exploring statistical and historical facts. So let’s begin!
Here Are the 20 Lesser Known Facts about Walmart
Statistical Facts about Walmart
1. Walmart Has 10,500 Stores in 19 Countries
According to the official website of Walmart, as per statistics, they have a global presence in 19 countries across the world.
Its retail units are as follows:
- Walmart USA.: 4,615
- Sam’s Club USA.: 599
- Walmart International: 5,402
- Total Retail Units: 10,616
Interestingly, the company also claims that they have employed 2.1 million associates across the world. Moreover, in the US alone, they have around 1.6 million associates.
Importantly, let’s continue with another yet interesting statistical fact.
2. Walmart Provides Services to over 37 Million People Daily and over 230 Million Customers Weekly
You heard it right. This is another yet shocking fact about Walmart. Notably, do you want to see the breakdown? Here it is.
- 37 million customers daily: This translates to an astonishing 5 million customers served daily.
- 230 million customers weekly: This signifies the vast scope of Walmart’s customer base, with over 33 million customers visiting its stores and online platforms each week.
Amazing, isn’t it? Now, let’s proceed.
3. Walmart’s E-commerce Site Has a Lot of Traffic
Do you want to know the actual traffic at the e-commerce website for Walmart as of 2024? If yes, relax. This blog has got you covered.
Also, did you know that Walmart has been selling its e-commerce tech to other retailers since 2021? Some of its retailers are Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source customers.
Here is the breakdown for the major contributing countries:
- USA: 463.9 million
- Canada: 6.25 million
- India: 3.92 million
- Mexico: 2.95 million
- Brazil: 1.95 million
Importantly, all these figures are based on the traffic calculated by all devices.
4. Walmart Has Spent $4.1 Billion on Advertising as of 2023
Yes. This is one of the lesser-known statistical facts about Walmart. I will explain the breakdown of their advertising expenditure from 2001 to 2023.
| Year | Advertising Costs ($bn) |
| 2001 | $0.6 |
| 2002 | $0.6 |
| 2003 | $0.7 |
| 2004 | $1.0 |
| 2005 | $1.4 |
| 2006 | $1.6 |
| 2007 | $1.9 |
| 2008 | $2.0 |
| 2009 | $2.1 |
| 2010 | $2.4 |
| 2011 | $2.5 |
| 2012 | $2.3 |
| 2013 | $2.3 |
| 2014 | $2.4 |
| 2015 | $2.4 |
| 2016 | $2.5 |
| 2017 | $2.9 |
| 2018 | $3.1 |
| 2019 | $3.5 |
| 2020 | $3.7 |
| 2021 | $3.2 |
| 2022 | $3.9 |
| 2023 | $4.1 |
5. Walmart Has Launched Its Own White Label Delivery Service
Did you know that Walmart launched its own white label delivery services in August 2021? This is also one of the facts about Walmart that few people are aware of. Their service goes by the name Walmart GoLocal.
Through this delivery service, Walmart offers other companies its delivery and logistical capabilities. This service is an additional strategy to take against Amazon, to serve as a white-label delivery service for businesses of all sizes.
Did you know that in 2023, Walmart GoLocal’s revenue was $611 billion?
Additionally, according to a recent news article by Retail Touchpoints, Books-A-Million is collaborating with Walmart GoLocal by offering same-day delivery locations across the USA.
6. What’s the Deal between Walmart and Flipkart?
Walmart’s acquisition of Flipkart included a digital payments subsidiary, PhonePe, which is now emerging as a top startup in India. Flipkart’s board authorized PhonePe to raise $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation, making it independent but still partially owned by Walmart. PhonePe’s growth is attributed to India’s digital payment adoption, with transaction volumes quadrupling recently.
This deal between Walmart and Flipkart greatly benefited Walmart because:
- It provided Walmart with a significant foothold in India’s rapidly growing e-commerce market.
- The deal positioned Walmart to compete more effectively with Amazon, both in India and globally.
- Walmart could now leverage Flipkart’s technological innovation and local market knowledge.
- The investment in Flipkart, including its digital payments arm PhonePe, aligned with the growth of digital payments in India, which benefited Walmart’s global strategy.
Recently, a news article from Zee Business said that Walmart’s CFO, John David Rainey, projects Flipkart and PhonePe to potentially become $100 billion businesses, highlighting their significant market share in India’s payments sector.
7. In 2023, the Mexican Market Provided the Largest Sales Revenue
Fun fact: did you know that in 2023, Walmart generated sales revenue of $40.5 billion? Compared to other locations, Mexico’s sales revenue was the highest in 2023.
But have you ever wondered how Walmart entered the Mexican market? Walmart in Mexico, known as Walmex, has revolutionized its marketing strategy by using WhatsApp for grocery deliveries. This approach, initiated by the Supernama store, is designed to attract customers by offering convenience and a personal touch.
Customers can send their grocery list via text or photo, and a company representative promptly responds, often with friendly emojis. The service charges a small fee for delivery within 90 minutes or at a scheduled time, accepting both cash and card payments.
This new marketing strategy made Supernama a standout in Walmart’s extensive Mexican portfolio, enhancing customer engagement and service accessibility.
Importantly, Walmart de Mexico (Walmex) reported a 1.18% increase in fourth-quarter net profit, driven by strong sales in Mexico and Central America. The company’s strategic expansion includes opening 101 new stores, with 93 in Mexico, indicating a co
commitment to growth and shareholder value amid favorable economic conditions.
8. Walmart Collaborated with KIDBOX in 2019
Through their collaboration with KIDBOX, Walmart provided consumers with a kid-focused style box that was exclusively available to them. Consumers had the option to choose to receive their box seasonally with the benefit of zero styling costs.
More than 120 high-end kids’ brands, including BCBG, Butter Super Soft, C&C California, and Puma, were accessible to shoppers to customize their look with the new Walmart KIDBOX style box on Walmart.com.
The head of fashion, Daniela Incandela, said that since the company wanted to establish walmart.com as a destination for fashion, the company’s collaboration with KIDBOX would allow it to offer a wider variety of well-known and high-quality children’s brands.
In fact, Miki Berardelli, the CEO of KIDBOX, said that Walmart has worked hard to become a key place to shop for fashion. They are excited to work with Walmart to offer a larger variety of children’s clothes online. This partnership will help parents by saving them time and giving them a good deal with a convenient stylebox.
9. Walmart’s Vudu and MGM Collaborated for an On-Demand Video Service in 2018
Walmart collaborated with Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) to produce content for its video-on-demand service, Vudu. The move is part of Walmart’s strategy to enhance its digital presence and offer more value to its customers.
The financial details of the partnership were not disclosed, but the initiative is seen as a significant step for Walmart in competing with other content providers and streaming services.
To protect itself against falling DVD in-store sales, Walmart purchased Vudu in 2010. Walmart made a bet that consumers would keep purchasing and renting movies and transfer their collections to a digital library that Vudu would build and manage for users.As per TechHive Vudu, NBCUniversal’s digital movie service will undergo a rebranding as ’Fandango at Home.’ This change, occurring two decades after Vudu’s launch and four years after its acquisition by Fandango (an NBCUniversal subsidiary), seeks to streamline Fandango’s services. The goal is to strengthen the brand’s identity as a comprehensive entertainment source for both home and theatrical experiences.
That’s all about the numbers. Now let’s proceed with some history-related facts. Keep scrolling.
History-Related Facts about Walmart
10. Sam Walton Learned Retailing from J.C. Penney
After Sam Walton graduated from the University of Missouri, he started working in the retail business. Subsequently, he worked for JC Penney in Iowa for quite some time.
Walton joined J.C. Penney as a management trainee. Importantly, he joined the company just three days after his graduation. Notably, this position paid him approximately $75 per month. Moreover, Sam Walton worked for the company for 18 months.
During this period, he learned the tricks of the trade. Later, in 1942, Walton resigned and left for military service.
Importantly, after he finished his military service in 1945, his real adventure began. How? Keep reading!
11. Walton’s First Venture Was the Ben Franklin Store
After finishing his military service in 1945, Walton decided to commence his very first venture, The Ben Franklin Store. Moreover, this store was located in Newport, Arkansas.
Walton had purchased the 5,000-square-foot store from the Butler Brothers. Moreover, he paid them a huge sum of $25,000. Importantly, Walton had invested his savings of $5000 and had loaned $20,000.
You may think that this is a huge risk, right?
Well, you’re wrong because Walton proved all of us wrong. He made rigorous efforts to get his business going. Notably, he used all the knowledge he had learned at JC Penney, which led to his business being a huge hit.
But all of this lasted only for 5 years. Why? Keep scrolling.
12. Walton’s 5&10- The Store That Led to Walmart
Sam Walton fulfilled his dream of making his business the best of the best. But he couldn’t stay in Arkansas for very long because, when the time to renew the store’s lease came, the landlord refused since he wanted to give the store to his son.
Notably, despite all this, Walton did not lose hope. Soon, Sam Walton found Luther Harrison, the owner of a small variety store in Bentonville, who wanted to sell his store.
Notably, after negotiations, Walton purchased the store and opened his second successful venture, Walton’s 5&10. He advertised his new store as the “most up-to-date, modern variety store in Northwest Arkansas.”
The interesting part is that this very store has now become the Walmart Museum. Importantly, this is one of the lesser-known historical facts about Walmart. Coming back, Walton gained a lot of success through this business as well.
This led to him opening “The Walmart Store.”
13. Walmart Opened in 1962
Walton was very focused on bringing valuable and quality goods to his customers. He wanted to sell bulk goods at a lower price because he thought that not all people had the same income. Notably, this very thought became his principle for running his business model.
Moreover, his next motivation to open Walmart was that, since two of his ventures were already very successful, and now that he knew the game, he had decided to expand his business.
Thirdly, his thought process said that if I grow my business, not only customers but also my employees would benefit from the pay. Hence, all of these thoughts led to the opening of Walmart in 1962.
It’s important for you to know that Walton began the Walmart empire at the age of 44 in Rogers, Arkansas. If you want to know more, keep reading.
14. The Walmart Store Has Had Many Name and Logo Changing Ceremonies
On October 31st, 1969, the official name of Walmart was Wal-Mart, Inc. Notably, on January 9, 1970, the store’s name was again changed to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Moreover, this name did not change for 47 years. But again, since 2008, the company has been using its current name and logo.
Importantly, speaking of logos, Walmart has changed its logo six times in total. So, from 1962 to 1964, the logo was very simple. Notably, it had a white background and had “WALMART” written in blue. Additionally, from 1964 to 1981, the logo had a western twist. It was black and white.
Moreover, from 1968–1991, Walmart retained the Frontier font and encased it in an emblem-style logo. The 1981–1992 logo was again very simple in white and brown.
Additionally, again in 1998, the logo was written in blue with a star in Wal-Mart. The background was white, and the font was blue.
In 2008, the company again changed its logo. This time, on the white background, Walmart was written in a light blue shade, and the star had turned into a spark placed after “Walmart.”
Now, that you know about Walmart’s logo and history, let’s hop onto the next venture! Sam’s Club.
15. The Opening of Sam’s Club in 1983
Sam’s Club was opened as an “experiment,” according to Walton. Notably, Walton wanted to help small-scale businesses succeed.
The main idea was that these small-scale business owners would buy products and services from Walton for their businesses to succeed.
Sam Walton had seen the success of various club stores, such as the ’San Diego Based Price Club’. Thus, he saw this scenario as a business opportunity. So, Sam’s Club opened in Mid-West City, Oklahoma, in 1983.
Lastly, it was in Sam’s Club, where ’The Sam’s Club Hotdog Cart’ made its debut. Also, in 1988, the club saw a 62% rise in sales across 84 clubs.
Notably, this is one of the most important facts about Walmart because Sam’s Club gave Walmart its upcoming CEO.
16. The CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillion, Started as a Truck Unloader
This is one of the facts about Walmart that some people know and some don’t. But, since this fact is related to the company’s current CEO, I have mentioned it to you.
When Doug was still completing his MBA studies at the University of Tusla, he started working in the athletic department at a local Walmart store. He was working as a buyer’s trainee.
Later, during the summer, when he moved back to his hometown in Arkansas, he was working at the Walmart Distribution Center unloading trucks. Importantly, after working with various departments in his career, he was assigned to be the general merchandise manager at Sam’s Club.
Soon, he climbed to the post of VP at Walmart. Notably, in 2006, he got his professional breakthrough at Sam’s Club. Lastly, in 2014, he was appointed as the CEO of Walmart.
Are you enjoying the blog? If yes, keep reading.
17. In 1999, Walmart Became the Largest Employer
By the 1990s, Walmart had gained tremendous success. Notably, in the US, it earned the title of the biggest retailer. Walmart significantly contributed to the US economy and marked its global presence in the international market.
Importantly, despite various competitors like Cotsco emerging, the US economic recession, and Sam Walton’s death in 1992, the company thrived.
Notably, when its debt financing strategy to build more stores succeeded in 1995, the company’s sales doubled.
By 1999, Walmart had become the biggest private-sector employer. Around 1.14 million people were employed by Walmart. Moreover, Walmart had 1,004 locations worldwide and 3,996 locations in the United States by the end of the 1990s.
18. Walmart’s Philanthropic Hurricane
Walmart has been one of the retail chains that has also contributed a lot to society via philanthropy. This is one of the facts about Walmart that you just cannot ignore.
You must be wondering how and why. The answer is the ’Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort’.
The following is the breakdown for the same:
Financial Assistance:
- $17 million: Walmart donated $15 million to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, and $1 million each to the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.
- $3 million: Walmart has given shelters and command centers in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas $3 million in product and in-kind supplies.
But businesses struggle as well, and the next fact is related to that. Well, scroll down.
19. The 2021 Racial Discrimination Case
In the year 2021, two blacks who were in their 50s sued Walmart for racial discrimination. Importantly, this is one of the facts about Walmart that many people might not be aware of.
Notably, what happened was that these two black men claimed that Walmart had accused them of stealing when they wanted to return a $300 TV set. Furthermore, the plaintiffs said that the store had refused to acknowledge their receipt.
Later on, the police took the men away, and they filed a lawsuit. Walmart claimed that it did not tolerate discrimination of any kind. It also said that it would not put such products behind glass cases.
Eventually, Walmart did pay a settlement. But the amount of money paid is confidential.
Moving on to the next struggle.
20. The ISIL Criticism
On June 29th, 2015, Walmart faced serious criticism for baking a cake that contained the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.
Walmart’s spokesperson told the media that the store was sorry for the blunder, which occurred when personnel at a local store failed to recognize the image.
Importantly, this was one of the interesting and unknown facts about Walmart that, again, probably many people know.
But, despite all this Walmart still stands very strong.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these are the 20 most fascinating facts about Walmart. I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog. Importantly, I also hope that you gain valuable knowledge by reading this blog. Keep reading Mirror Review for more such exclusive content.
