Walmart+ Memberships Stalled at 11M in July, Says CIRP

Membership in Walmart+, the retailer’s premium member plan, has “plateaued,” said a Thursday Consumer Intelligence Research Partners report. CIRP estimates Walmart+ had 11 million customers in the U.S. in July, the same number it had in April, up from 9 million in the July 2021 quarter. Membership had increased steadily since Walmart launched the program in September 2020 “with COVID-19 pandemic shoppers signing up,” said analyst Josh Lowitz. Some 25% of Walmart.com customers were part of Walmart+ in July, up slightly from April, and from CIRP’s estimate of 17% in July 2021. “We’ve seen Walmart+ penetration in a narrow range, representing 23%-25% of online shoppers for the past three quarters,” said analyst Mike Levin. Membership increased slowly after “strong growth” in the first year of the $98 annual service, Levin said. “Walmart appears to have re-emphasized in-person shopping, and customers have not seen the same need for online shopping as they did when Walmart first introduced the program and the Covid pandemic reduced in-person shopping,” Levin said. Findings are based on surveys of 500 U.S. subjects who made a purchase at Walmart.com May-July 2022. Walmart said it doesn't comment on membership numbers.