Yes, you read the title to this post correctly. Despite some stereotypes to the contrary, Wal-Mart is attracting lots of young adults.
InfoScout recently conducted research on this subject. As reported by Jack Neff for Advertising Age, there were some unexpected results:
“What’s the hottest big retailer with millennials [young adults]? Wal-Mart. The reason may be its investment in E-commerce and mobile, or it could be that its low prices resonated during the economic downturn. Or it could be specialty Tommee Tippee baby bottles [ 🙂 ].”
“‘Millennials now, as a generation, like Wal-Mart the best, more so than Generation X, more so than boomers,’ said Matt Kistler, Wal-Mart senior VP-consumer insights and analytics. ‘That kind of shocks a lot of people, including inside the company,’ admitted Wal-Mart Chief Marketing Officer Stephen Quinn.”
“It doesn’t exactly jibe with the perception that big-box supercenters are losing ground to niche brands, small stores, and E-commerce. Mr. Quinn sees it differently. ‘As millennials become time-crunched with relationships and kids coming along, it’s opening up a strong need for them to have a one-stop shop,’ he said.”
Click the chart to read more from Neff.
Like the young adults mentioned in the post, I too shop at Wal-Mart for a variety of goods. The superstore has every type of product ranging from cameras and extension cables, to foods and school supplies. It is easier to stop at one store with particularly low prices then to make several stops to buy the same products. I believe that Wal-Mart gets a bad rep because on the Internet the store is presented as the place where very low class people shop. I, however, do not see anything wrong with wanting to shop smart in regards to certain objects. This generation grew up with advertisements screaming “sale” and “lowest price,” so it only makes sense that they go to a store that really does have some of the lowest prices.