TWIG Video: What Is Walmart's Merchandising Strategy?

In this episode of TWIG Podcast, Progressive Grocer's Lynn Petrak talks with Tasha Tandy, VP of merchandising for breakfast, baking and commodities at Walmart. Tasha gives podcast listeners an inside look at product development for the nation's largest retailer and shares how she helps meet shoppers' needs from a budget and lifestyle standpoint. 

“In my role specifically in dry grocery, we have a responsibility to quite honestly feed America and to do it in a really financially responsible way,” she says. “I take that very seriously and spend a lot of time to bring the lowest price that I possibly can on the goods that I sell to our customers. But then there's this other element of surprising and delighting our customer. What are the things that they want? What are the things that they want they didn't know they wanted? Sometimes we have to show them that.”

And for Tasha, that means discovering a variety of new products, from the biggest CPGs to the smallest of suppliers. 

“I think there's a lot of assumption that you're not ready for Walmart unless you can service 5,000 stores. And that's not true,” says Tasha. “We kind of meet them [suppliers] where they're at and then we evaluate capabilities. Sometimes we help them grow and a PO from Walmart for 500 stores or a thousand stores can help them grow. And maybe 12 months from now they're ready for an expansion.”

Overall, supplier partnerships are crucial for the retailer. “Walmart doesn't manufacture anything," remarks Tasha. "Our suppliers make product and we sell product. I will always double down on spending time with suppliers because it's you win, I win, the customer wins. It's a successful model that works really well for us.”

Tasha also delves into last year’s debut of Walmart own “elevated” brand called bettergoods. This was the retailer's largest private-brand food launch in 20 years and the fastest food private brand that Walmart has brought to market.

“I'm super proud of this brand launch because it's serving customer needs and closing gaps that we didn't have in our assortment from a private label standpoint,” she says. “And one of the misconceptions is that Walmart has a private brand growth strategy. And we actually don't. We have a customer service strategy and the customer decides.” 

The culinary inspired bettergoods offers a broad variety of options that cater to different dietary lifestyles, like gluten-free, or made without artificial flavors, colorings or added sugars.

In addition to merchandising at Walmart, Tasha also talks about her career journey at the mass retailer and mentoring the next generation of top women. Watch the complete episode now.