By Tycho Ferrigni · August 14, 2025 · 2 min read
Let’s rewind the clock to March of 1988. [“Going Big: Memories from the First Supercenter”] This is when Walmart rolled out its first Supercenter—a novel concept at the time that combined a general merchandise store with a grocery store. Customers could make one trip to the store and “buy an outfit, then get your groceries.” Walmart was driving a new kind of convenience for shoppers. The concept was a huge success. As of 2024, Walmart has more than 3,500 Supercenters in its footprint.
The Supercenter succeeded because it created a knock-on effect: consistent, repeated foot traffic. While people may need a new outfit, a light bulb, or a paintbrush only every few weeks or months, they consume groceries every day. By meeting a daily need, Walmart strengthened its merchandise business by introducing a steady flow of daily and weekly store visits. Customers could do their grocery shopping and conveniently pick up other items in one trip—no need to visit a separate store.
Fast-forward to today: Amazon now accounts for 37.6% of all online retail spending but hasn’t become a dominant player in groceries. Its focus has been traditional merchandise. In many ways, Amazon is the digital version of Walmart in 1988.
But with the launch of same-day perishable grocery delivery, Amazon is taking a page from the Walmart playbook[“Amazon now offers same-day perishable grocery delivery…”]. By meeting a daily consumer need, Amazon encourages customers to return to its platform more frequently. This will generate incremental, daily digital impressions—driving additional merchandise sales, just like Walmart’s Supercenter did decades ago.
The battle between Amazon and Walmart just got more interesting. It’ll be worth watching how Walmart responds.
