Walmart is extending its Luminate data analytics platform beyond the USA to transform retail strategies and the customer experience in Mexico and Canada.

The retail landscape is transforming, driven by evolving consumer behaviour in this increasingly omnichannel world. Walmart wants to exploit the value of real-time, consistent and flexible data in deriving smarter insights and more personalised offerings for shoppers.

This is why it embarked on a data analytics journey in 2021 and established Walmart Data Ventures, a division dedicated to bringing to life business applications of Walmart’s first-party data. Its ambition is to enhance the customer experience across the entire value chain through Walmart Luminate, its data analytics product suite.

As such, it is expanding the Luminate platform internationally, beginning with Walmex in Mexico followed by Walmart Canada later this year.

Mirroring the strategy used in the USA, this will be a phased launch, starting with the shopper behaviour product followed by channel performance and customer perception analytics.

“We couldn’t be more excited to extend our innovative retail to these new markets and empower our merchants and suppliers with a shared view of the customer and our products, from the physical to the digital shelf,” said Mark Hardy, head of Walmart Data Ventures (www.walmartdataventures.com). “At Walmart Data Ventures, our mission is to become a global leader in insights and analytics, and this expansion marks a pivotal moment on that journey. This also presents an incredible opportunity for our multi-market suppliers who will now be able to leverage our platform outside the USA and make an even greater impact in these markets.”

Since it launched Luminate, Walmart says it has successfully optimised retail strategies from product assortment to product development, levelling the playing field for suppliers of all sizes. Today, 90% of Walmart’s largest suppliers have signed up for a Luminate Charter subscription, and some smaller suppliers account for approximately half of its total subscriptions.

Through Walmart’s acquisition of Volt Systems in 2022, it has been able to extend its value proposition to store operators and primary service providers by providing on-demand visibility to merchandising resources that help ensure shoppers can find the right product, in the right place, at the right time.

“At Kimberly-Clark, Walmart Luminate has played an integral role in our strategy,” said Amanda Coussoule, vice president of sales for Walmart at Kimberly-Clark. “Luminate empowers us to tailor our offerings precisely to consumer needs, ensuring unparalleled shopping experiences. Extending this capability to Walmex and Walmart Canada will further enhance our ability to make data-driven decisions.”

What began as a small but dedicated team has evolved into a thriving commercial business for Walmart (corporate.walmart.com) with international scale and even more opportunities ahead to create lasting value for shoppers.

“We look forward to sharing more updates on the growth of Walmart Data Ventures, the evolution of Walmart Luminate, and how we’re bringing our brand promise to life in ways that are transforming retail,” said Hardy.