Walmart Is Getting Tired of Just Being a Store

psychothumbs@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 58 points –
Walmart Is Getting Tired of Just Being a Store
nymag.com
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The retail giant is in talks to buy smart television-manufacturer Vizio for more than $2 billion, according to people familiar with the situation. The move would give Walmart more places where it can sell ads and pitch shoppers on goods. … Walmart gets most of its U.S. revenue from its grocery business, which typically has low profit margins. Executives see the Walmart Connect ad unit as a path to heftier profits and a way to generate cash beyond the company’s longtime engine of selling goods through stores.

Man, I like Vizio's, I don't want them to become Great Value TVs...

Vizio is kindof like Costco's Kirkland brand. They don't actually manufacture anything, they just select high-margin products that they can have contract manufactured cheaply, have some reasonable QC standards applied, and slap their name on the product.

So they're already kindof like Great Value TVs, though clearly held to a higher standard than most Great Value trash usually is.

They do actually make their own software for their TVs, many brands are just using google tv/fire tv/roku. Iirc Vizio sells their TVs at a loss and makes it up with data.

Honestly I thought Vizio was already a Walmart owned brand. It's the only reason I never considered buying one.

Don’t worry… according to the article they will just be using them to plaster ads in your face instead.