A lot of people think their business won’t be touched by the rise of mobile and the prevalence of the Internet, but Wal-Mart’s heavy investment in mobile and social should serve as an indicator for even the businesses who still believe they will never make a sale online.
Brands are becoming media companies and even one of the stingiest brands in the world is investing heavily across digital channels. It’s time to wake up because the cost of acquiring fans and followers (at least the legitimate ones) is only going to increase.
Here’s what Venturebeat had to say about the retailers latest acquisition for Wal-Mart Labs:
The group responsible for bringing multinational retail corporation Wal-Mart into the era of mobile and social commerce has just expanded. WalmartLabs, the retail giant’s eight month-old social and mobile product incubator, has acquired Small Society to help improve customers’ mobile experiences, the group announced Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We believe that mobile can have an impact on every part of the shopping experience for Walmart customers, whether in-store or online,” WalmartLabs head Anand Rajaraman explained in a blog post detailing the reasons behind the acquisition. “We’re very excited to have such talented new team members to help us make that impact.”