Walmart partners with Meituan to boost its ecommerce business in China

The news: Walmart is teaming up with Meituan to make its goods available on the Chinese delivery company’s app, the company announced in a WeChat post.

The partnership should provide a boost to Walmart’s ecommerce business in China, which already accounts for nearly half of its sales in the region.

The context: The announcement comes less than four months after Walmart sold its stake in JD.com for roughly $3.6 billion.

• At the time, Walmart signaled plans to build out its own ecommerce and delivery operations for its Walmart and Sam’s Club businesses in China.
• Instead it’s taking a faster path to growth by teaming with Meituan—China’s go-to app for quick deliveries. The relationship should boost Walmart’s visibility, helping it stay top of mind with Chinese consumers.
• The partnership will likely build on Walmart’s momentum in China, where sales across Walmart and Sam’s Club grew 17.0% YoY in Q3 and ecommerce sales jumped 25% YoY.

Our take: Walmart is adapting to China’s rapidly evolving retail landscape, where Meituan is on the rise as JD.com is losing ground.

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