The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which consumer-goods editor and analyst Austin Smith and energy editor Joel South discuss topics around the investing world.
In today's edition, Austin and Joel discuss Wal-Mart's new "Pay With Cash" option for online shoppers. On one hand this is an important move, because it allows Wal-Mart to leverage its stores as mini-distribution centers to capture online shoppers, but without having to worry about the online shipping expense that sometimes hurts Amazon.com. Despite liking the move, Austin doesn't think it's a real needle-mover. Wal-Mart's current transactions are largely cash-based anyway, meaning these people would never have bought things online regardless. He doesn't believe this will steal market share from Amazon, but it is an added convenience add for customers, which is always a good thing.
One thing this move does indicate is that retail is in its largest period of transition ever. The companies left behind will bankrupt investors, while the few exceptional leaders benefiting from this change will see astounding growth in the years ahead. The Motley Fool has created a free report, "The Death of Retail," which highlights two companies hand-picked by Fool analysts that are set to dominate the future. To check out these two companies and learn more about the future of retailing, click here now -- it's free!
