Walmart is expanding its online presence to compete with internet giants like Amazon.
The chain’s new initiative, called Walmart Business, aims to serve commercial customers and nonprofits.
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The program, which has its own website, focuses on products such as food, electronics, office supplies, and furniture.
Walmart publicly announced the initiative on Friday, but the website, which features more than 100,000 different products, has been live since September, according to Bloomberg.
The chain has also created new membership plans that offer businesses even more savings.
For $98 a year, customers can enjoy benefits such as free shipping, 5% off eligible items, and 2% off orders over $250.
Similar to the chain’s Walmart+ membership program, Business allows up to five users to share one account.
Management hopes the new initiative will help Walmart compete with companies like Amazon, Costco and Staples that have worked hard to win over small business customers during the pandemic.
Walmart is currently the world’s largest retailer, but it already dominates much of the market, so analysts expect the company to grow more slowly over the long term.
As such, the chain needs to cultivate a new customer base.
Walmart hopes the new initiative will attract purchasing managers who work for large corporate customers.
But the chain also hopes that existing customers who own small businesses will start buying supplies from Walmart instead of its competitors.
Walmart vice president Ashley Habka told Bloomberg that he doesn’t think the new initiative will take customers away from the company-owned mass warehouse chain Sam’s Club.
