Walmart's marketplace is also much smaller than Amazon's, despite launching in 2009. Walmart has not disclosed how many vendors are part of its marketplace, but it sells to customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Amazon, on the other hand, operates a store website that's open to sellers in 22 countries, including Australia, Germany, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. It has used its Amazon Prime membership program to drive higher online sales volumes.
Though it trails far behind Amazon, Walmart has shown signs of momentum. For the past two quarters, its U.S. business has posted double-digit online growth as other major retailers such as , and have posted declines. E-commerce sales for Walmart U.S. in the fiscal first quarter and compared with the year-ago period.
On an earnings call earlier this month, Rainey said the number of customers buying items on Walmart's marketplace increased 14% in the fiscal second quarter. He said general merchandise sold well on the platform during the three-month period, with double-digit growth across the home and apparel categories, even as
