Walmart Search Engine Move Aims at Amazon
Walmart is getting into the search business, to compete not with Google but with e-commerce nemesis Amazon.
On Thursday, the global retail giant introduced Polaris, a search engine developed by its @WalmartLabs group, to provide online shoppers with more relevant responses to queries entered at Walmart’s website.
Neil Ashe, president and CEO of Walmart global e-commerce, in a statement characterized search as “a crown jewel for any e-commerce company to own” and presented Polaris as proof that the company is committed to “owning technology that is fundamental” to serving its customers.
Amazon knows the value of search only too well. Though its internal search initiative, A9, could not compete with Google as a stand-alone search site, the company has employed its A9 search technology to good effect internally. Amazon’s quarterly revenue growth has averaged almost 40% for the past two years, largely due to its e-commerce strength.