Evan Gaetano’s Post

This Martha Stewart story is a masterclass on knowing what you stand for. In the '90s, Martha Stewart signed a deal with Kmart to have her products sold in the low-cost retailer's stores. When Martha met with Kmart executives, they lectured her on how they wanted her towels and linens to be made and priced. That's when Martha Stewart said: "Let's get one thing straight. I'm not here to lower myself to your standards. You're here to rise to my standards." Today, Martha Stewart is more famous and successful than ever, and Kmart has gone from 2,500 stores to 6. 🔑 Key Takeaway: Martha Stewart is clear on her values and what she stands for. Know who you are and never compromise. What are your values? What do you stand for? Share in the comments.

It's all about keeping customers loyal to the brand. 🪨 Imagine dropping a pebble into a pool. The ripples start from the center and spread outward. ✔️ Walmart is a fantastic example of a company that's making a smart investment by paying 100% of their employees' university tuition. When I first heard about it, I was wowed 😲 Here's why it is great: 1️⃣ It makes employees more loyal and engaged, which leads to better teamwork and higher productivity. Think "ripple effect" 😉 As they grow together, they can achieve impressive results, making the workplace a happier and more productive environment.🤜🤛 2️⃣ This move helped the company solidify its position in the market, improve its image, and make its brand even stronger. This was especially important for Walmart, since its core customers come from low to middle-income households.

Here is a snapshot of the annual Year Beginning Meeting at Walmart Connect in 15 seconds. We learned, we celebrated our exponential growth and most importantly we inspired each other to climb even higher in 2024! We are Walmart. 🎉 #OurConnect #WalmartConnect #reels #retailmedia

This is great news for all Walmart store managers! But what does it actually mean? What is “granted stock” and how does it effect your pocketbook? Are taxes due now or later? If I become an “owner” as John Furner said, then do I have any additional liabilities? We help clients understand all of this, and more importantly, how it fits into their True Wealth Plan! Learn more at www.DoWealthDifferent.com! #DoWealthDifferent Echo Collaborative

Another great quarterly performance by team Walmart in a persistently unforgiving and challenging retail environment. Of note, several recent media articles have been titled as below, or made reference to who's biggest. Click bait. In my 22 years at Walmart corporate, being "the biggest" was never a goal. Never an aspiration. Never a "thing." Frankly, who the hell cares?! In all those years, I never attended a meeting or ever heard an executive cite this arbitrary aspiration as anything but a result of the hard work performed by the 2 million plus associates - day in and day out. So, for the media gurus wanting top-line size to matter, to be the goal, spend more time writing about what DOES matter - doing the relevant things well, consistently focusing on the core customer, and having the courage to correct missteps and mistakes quickly. No retailer is perfect. Certainly not Walmart. However, repeating results speak for themselves. Consistency, not shiny things or Wall Street blips is what matters. #retail #retailleadership Kroger Amazon The Home Depot Lowe's Companies, Inc. Meijer Target The Wall Street Journal Yahoo Finance #socialmedia Macy's Asda ALDI USA Dollar General Safeway Albertsons Companies CVS Health Walgreens Conversations On Retail RetailWire Omni Talk Retail https://lnkd.in/gqRYe-7E

✅ New YouTube video - Walmart's strategic acquisition of Vizio - an American company specializing in the development and manufacture of consumer electronics ✅ Today, we'll dive into the strategic ecosystem maneuvering of global retail giant Walmart and highlight Walmart's transformative journey within the complex world of business ecosystems. Walmart has continually demonstrated remarkable growth, particularly in e-commerce and retail media. Walmart's strategic acquisition of Vizio underscores the value of ecosystem integration. By seamlessly interweaving e-commerce, retail media and Vizio's cutting-edge technology, Walmart is able to unleash unprecedented synergies and drive customer loyalty and revenue generation to unprecedented heights. Diverging from traditional advertising paradigms, Walmart's approach pivots on leveraging ecosystem dynamics to deliver hyper-personalized experiences. By synergizing e-commerce data with a vast TV audience, Walmart pioneers a new frontier in retail media, reshaping the landscape of consumer engagement and brand interaction. 🔗 You can find the most important insights from this strategic step in our latest video: https://lnkd.in/ed3Rsm2R 👍 If you found this exploration of business ecosystems insightful, give it a thumbs up! Subscribe to the Ecosystemizer YouTube channel for more thought-provoking insights into the evolving landscape of business ecosystems. Thank you for embarking on this journey with us! #Walmart #Vizio #BusinessEcosystems #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #EcosystemThinking #CustomerCentricity #Ecosystemizer

After a 17 year hiatus, it’s great to be back in retail (tech) again! This article highlights the complexity of being a store manager and it hints at the types of problems tech needs to solve to keep 4,700+ US Walmart stores humming along. It’s a nice read to bring to life Walmart’s mission of being people led and tech powered to help customers save money and live better! https://lnkd.in/g6Yzh7T3

Last week, Walmart and Sam’s Club associates from all over the world gathered here in Bentonville, AR for Associate’s Week. The spirit and energy that this annual event breathes into our collective hearts as Walmart and Sam’s Club associates cannot be overstated. It is invigorating to have so many people here in our relatively small city at the heart of Walmart, USA. It’s a richly diverse gathering, not just in terms of cultures and countries represented, but also in diversity of career journeys, life experience, educational backgrounds, and so much more. This was the first year I was able to attend the Associate Celebration that wraps up the week. I saw incredible entertainment (Lizzo, anyone??). I also heard from Paris Hilton and Robert Downy, Jr. about their products available at Walmart. I enjoyed the lighthearted antics of host Peyton Manning, hearing leaders from different parts of the company talk about our future, and seeing the unique things happening at various stores around the world. What was most impactful to me though, was the message from CEO Doug McMillon as he recognized three amazing associates for their dedication and the difference they make every day. He spoke about the impact of consistent effort towards achieving goals, the importance of celebrating wins and success, and the inspiration to be found in moving targets. I really needed that message. I’m personally coming out of the most difficult year of my professional life to date. That idea of “moving targets”, for whatever reason, really clicked and resonated with me. We have been experiencing a lot of change recently in Walmart Global Tech, some of it unprecedented for many of us. It’s been a challenge to stay optimistic and seek out success in times of uncertainty. It’s so easy to lose sight of positivity when things are happening around us that we can’t control. But there are always things we can control, even in the midst of the unknown. Through that lens, moving targets are a really positive thing - an opportunity for a different way of working, a chance to discover a spark of creativity, a moment to foster new ideas. Change can stifle us with fear, or motivate us towards evolution. The rest of this year, I will be working on the latter. Here’s to an incredible remainder of FY25 at Walmart. I look forward to what the future holds! #WMT2024

This week we shared our Q4 earnings and the numbers are impressive. What’s even more impressive is the real story that’s behind those numbers. The real story is the Walmart associates across the country who made those earnings numbers happen. ⭐ Like the cashiers and customer hosts who welcome each customer with a smile.  ⭐ Or the private fleet drivers who take pride in safely delivering every shipment on schedule. ⭐ Or the stocking associates who make sure store shelves are filled with the items their customers need. ⭐ Or the tech teams who create tools that make working for and shopping at Walmart easy in ways we don’t even realize. ⭐ Or the store managers who lead with compassion and develop our next generation of leaders. Those are just a few of the countless examples of how our associates make the difference in communities everywhere. Helping people live better defines Walmart culture. And our associates bring it to life every day. Now, let’s go do it again in 2024! #InItToWinIt #TeamWalmart