What Walmart Would Gain From Acquiring Ecommerce Innovator Jet.com

Though Jet.com is barely a year old, it is already an ecommerce giant thanks to an innovative logistics platform that calculates in real-time the most efficient way to fulfill orders and pass savings onto shoppers while they shop. Walmart is in discussions with founder Marc Lore – he of Quidisi.com fame – to purchase Jet.com, and Euromonitor sees a number of advantages for Walmart in the deal. Certainly there would be immediate access to four million shoppers and $1 billion in online retail sales, expected to reach $20 billion within five years. But over the long term, Walmart could become much more competitive with online powerhouses eBay and Amazon.com, thanks to Jet’s innovative ecommerce practices. Another benefit: Jet.com has expanded into grocery delivery, which Walmart is eager to try.