Walmart Bets on Better in a Move Focused on Sustainability, and Transparency

Walmart applies “better” labels to products according to health and sustainability standards. This should also help CRM personalization efforts

In this article:

  • Walmart announced an initiative to help shoppers make more informed decisions with labels that identify “better” products.
  • Better, in this instance, is either healthier or more environmentally sound.

“Save Money. Live Better.” That’s been an effective brand identity for Walmart for decades. Now it’s examining what “better” can and should mean and applying that understanding to identifying products.

Walmart recently announced the rollout of “Built for Better.” It describes it as “an online shopping destination that makes it easy for customers to identify and shop for products that are built better – for them and for the planet.”

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The products that fall under those categories will get their corresponding icon. That makes them easy to spot for both online and in-store shoppers without having to read through all the ingredients or product information on the package.

The better for you options are identified by this icon:

Walmart describes that category as applying to “more nutritious products or those that meet independent and authoritative standards that recognize products made without specific materials or ingredients customers may not want.” It’s not limited to food but anything that can connect with a body like detergents and cosmetics.

The more environmentally-friendly choices are identified as “Built for Better – For the Planet” and identified by this icon:

Why We Love It from CRM Standpoint?

Customers that purchase any product(s) with one or both of these labels are obviously conscious about that sort of standards – and thus should be treated accordingly from a CRM Marketing standpoint. This is a genuine way to gain valuable, actionable zero-party data that can help personalization efforts – the kind that increases customer lifetime value (as long as the company knows what to do with that data, at the required scale).

What qualifies takes into account “more than 30 independent standards focused primarily on environmental benefits including Energy Star Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Better Cotton Initiative and more.”

Walmart identified this move as “just one component of Walmart’s greater sustainability strategy and our commitment to become a regenerative company — one dedicated to placing nature and humanity at the center of our business practices.”

It also indicates that the giant retailer famous for low prices recognizes that its customer base also wants to make healthier and more sustainable purchase choices and would appreciate the transparency of the icon identification system.