Is Walmart+ a True Rival of Amazon Prime?

In about a week, Walmart plans to open the e-commerce gates of its membership program, Walmart+, a subscription service said to rival Amazon Prime. CivicScience surveyed U.S. adults to understand interest and sentiment surrounding Walmart+ and, while largely still the same as our July reading, interest has increased from 12% to 13% of U.S. adults.

Unsurprisingly, respondents who reported favorability toward Walmart were more likely than Amazon Prime users to intend to sign up for Walmart+, and a month later, that is still the case. Although, since July, interest in a Prime-like service from Walmart did increase four percentage points among Amazon Prime customers.

A Correlation with Groceries

Likely Walmart+ subscribers have a greater chance of being women, parents, and in the 35-to-54-year-old age group than those unlikely to subscribe. There was little difference between income brackets, although those making under $50,000 each year were slightly less likely to subscribe to Walmart+ than other income brackets.

One indication of interest in Walmart+ had to do with grocery shopping. Just like Walmart favorables, people who regularly shopped for groceries at the super-center showed a greater interest in its membership program.

In addition, Walmart’s online grocery scene has been booming, so it makes sense that people interested in Walmart+ are also more likely to say grocery delivery will be prevalent in the next few years.

Competing with a Streaming Service

While Walmart+ and Amazon Prime share a number of similar perks for their customers, Walmart can’t compete with Amazon Prime Video. If someone had to choose Prime or Walmart+, wouldn’t they choose the one that comes with an entire online streaming service?

What’s interesting is that those who believe Amazon Prime Video offers the best selection of original content are also the most likely to say they’ll sign up for Walmart+.

Walmart+ certainly has a shorter list of major perks than Amazon Prime, but it’s clear we can’t assume Amazon Prime will beat out Walmart+ consistently.