Today In Retail: Walmart+ Members Get Holiday Shopping Perk; Digital Saks Reportedly Planning IPO

In today’s top retail news, Walmart is spreading its Black Friday deals out again this year and giving Walmart+ members early access, while eCommerce-focused Saks is considering going public as early as next year. Also, consumers are increasingly demanding faster delivery times from online orders, and U.K.-based online used car seller Cazoo is moving into the commercial vehicle sector.

Walmart+ Members to Get Early Access to Black Friday Deals

Walmart is bringing back its Black Friday Deals for Days promotion, spreading the discounts that are usually restricted to one day across events throughout the month of November. This year, Walmart+ members will get early access to the Black Friday Deals for Days offerings, with the chance to shop four hours earlier than non-members for all three special events.

Saks eCommerce IPO Plans Show Allure of Retail’s Digital Shift

Saks, the eCommerce-focused spinoff carved out from Saks Fifth Avenue, is mulling a public offering that could come as soon as next year, with a valuation that could top $6 billion. That valuation would come as sales for those eCommerce operations have topped $1 billion, as measured on an annual basis. When Saks went private last year, the entire company was valued at about $1.5 billion; the Saks.com spinoff in March was valued at $2 billion.

Two-Hour Delivery Becoming ‘One of the Expectations’ for Consumers

Ben Jones, founder and CEO of eCommerce fulfillment platform Ohi, told PYMNTS that as Amazon, Walmart and other huge online marketplaces take more of consumers’ spending and offer faster delivery options, he sees a growing expectation for delivery within hours, not days. Nearly 20% of consumers are making purchases at stores using online delivery aggregators such as Instacart more often now than they were last year, according to PYMNTS research

Cazoo Expands to Commercial Vehicles With Vans365 Acquisition

U.K.-based online used car seller Cazoo has agreed to acquire Vans365 in a move that expands the company’s reach into the commercial vehicle space. Vans365 has its own in-house technicians and customer service reps in Bristol, U.K., and it buys and sells hundreds of vans every month.