Retail Link

The founder, Sam Walton, and chief lieutenant, David Gloss, began in 1985, developing Retail Link. It took them years to perfect as well as $4 billion, but it was worth it. What Retail Link is is data that is imbedded in the barcodes that pass through the checkout counters that delivers information on costumer behavior. Random Fact: Because of Retail Link, Walmart knows that the number one selling item before a hurricane is beer and that strawberry pop-tarts increase seven times in sales before a hurricane. This program is helpful for Walmart, because it helps them to know what items they need more of during a certain time and helps them stock their inventory. But what was even more important about this program was that it gave Walmart the power to gain control over their suppliers and partner with them. They could do this because Walmart's Retail Link worked so well that their rivals tried to emulate the program, but they did it unsuccessfully, which in returned gave Walmart the power to be able to sell or not sell Retail Link to them, which is another reason why Walmart is so powerful and successful and has so much control over everyone.

Checkout more about Retail Link at:  http://www.wal-martchina.com/english/supplier/rl/rl.htm#what

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Works Cited:

"10 Ways Walmart Changed the World." Business Money 10 Ways Walmart Changed the World Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2013.

"What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits." What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2013.