Wal-Mart To Access NPD Consumer Data

Wal-Mart Stores has signed an agreement to access consumer tracking data from research firm NPD Group for its stores and its membership warehouse business, Sam's Club.

Through the deal, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club will be able to track consumer purchasing data across a broad spectrum of areas including consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, and home improvements – they will also receive NPD's consumption data on food and beverages.

Information will include what was bought, the prices which were paid and where the purchases took place and will be collected from NPD's panel of more than 3.5 million consumers. NPD will produce reports customised for Wal-Mart, enabling the retailer to view information for Wal-Mart and Sam's Club consumer segments, category hierarchies, and custom trading areas.

Wal-Mart Vice President Robert Atencio commented: 'Such data is necessary to successfully grow our business by understanding what today's consumer is looking for and tailoring our business to deliver it.'

Stephen Quinn, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Wal-Mart responded: 'Wal-Mart has always placed a high value on using information for fact-based decision making. We look forward to building on our track record here by working with NPD, leveraging the new tool with our vendors, and continuing to meet customer needs to grow our business.'

NPD consumer information available to Wal-Mart will include core market measures such as market share, price points, consumer demographics and channel trends. Wal-Mart will also be tapping NPD's custom research options to address other, specific information needs. The retail giant recently announced that it was partially lifting a six year ban on handing over sales data to market research firms, to support Nielsen's effort to create an industry standard for in-store marketing measurement ( www.mrweb.com/drno/news6824.htm ). Wal-Mart and Sam's Club are online at: www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com .

Founded in 1967, US consumer and retail market research information provider NPD is on the net at: www.npd.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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