Walmart’s new senior vice president who oversees its home areas, Creighton Kiper, is setting the bar high for the giant retailer’s growth in the category.
“I want people to think home when they think Walmart,” he said in a presentation to its suppliers late last year. “Inside Walmart, we are excited about the momentum in the business (and) that perception-changing opportunities exist in home, fashion and beauty. We are known for low prices on food and consumables, but we want to also be seen as a destination for home and fashion,” he said.
Kiper, who took on his new role last August, said the company’s goal is to double the business and double its digital presence over the next five years. Kiper, in a published interview, admitted the goal to double sales is ambitious but said incremental is not getting it done. “We have to be transformational.”
Kiper most recently was vice president of beauty for Walmart where he grew the assortment and improved customer experiences adding celebrity lines and revamping the store layout to more resemble a Sephora or Ulta within the large supercenter.
Kiper in the interview said he’s particularly excited about the new products in the home category coming to Walmart in the first quarter of this year, including more collections and staged displays for the holiday cycle. He said digital is important to the success of growing the home business.
“Just being able to scan a barcode in-store is not enough. It needs to feel like a billboard and inspirational. We will remodel around 600 stores over the next year, and that will continue for five years. We want to change how home shows up digitally in stores. Online we have a lot of work to do around emphasizing collections so a shopper can see every room in their home. That’s going to take collaboration among departments but should help us deliver a better experience,” he said.