• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

New

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Watch Fortune Daily, our new video show that brings you inside the Fortune newsroom and the boardroom

Retailecommerce

Walmart’s $1.4 billion Vibe.co deal is a direct shot at Amazon’s booming ad business

Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 25, 2026, 3:00 AM ET
Walmart is taking on its competitors in markets beyond retail.
Walmart is taking on its competitors in markets beyond retail. Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Walmart’s biggest acquisition in two years is a signal from CEO John Furner that he is serious about his ambitions to challenge Amazon.com’s massive lead in the advertising space.

Recommended Video

The retailer said this week it will pay $1.4 billion to buy French advertising-technology firm, Vibe.co. The firm enables advertising through televisions connected to the internet and streaming content and, more crucially, focuses on enabling small and medium-size advertisers that might not have access to the large ad-buying agencies, and are thus an underserved market. 

“We want to be where our customers are spending their time,” Ryan Mayward, senior vice president and general manager of Walmart Connect U.S., told Bloomberg in an interview.

This latest deal, the first sizable one since Furner became CEO last winter after several years heading Walmart’s U.S. business, builds on Walmart’s acquisition in 2024 of connected-TV maker Vizio. 

That deal was not about selling television sets as much as it was to beef up its Walmart Connect media and digital-advertising business, which serves ads on Walmart’s website, app, in-store screens, and elsewhere online, targeted using Walmart’s customer data. While still a small source of revenue, non-retail businesses like advertising and membership are the fastest-growing and most profitable incremental businesses for the Arkansas-based retailer.

It’s a business that Walmart is following its biggest rival, Amazon, into. (In 2025, Amazon surpassed Walmart in revenue and is now the No. 1 company on the Fortune 500.) By some estimates, Walmart’s ad business generated $6.4 billion in revenue, or 1% of its total revenue; that’s about a tenth of what Amazon’s did. Still, it is highly profitable compared with the tiny margins in its mammoth retail business. And Walmart has grown its digital prowess in recent years: The 64-year-old megastore has narrowed the gap in online sales with the digital-native Amazon significantly, even as it remains a distant No. 2 in U.S. e-commerce sales.

Furner, who was the right-hand man of his predecessor Doug McMillon in turning Walmart into a more dominant e-commerce player and branching out beyond retail in search of new revenues, signaled with his first appointments in January that he intended to continue on that path. 

Those included promoting David Guggina, its U.S. e-commerce chief executive, last winter to become CEO of Walmart’s $500-billion U.S. division, despite Guggina having no experience running stores or in merchandising. Furner also hired Seth Dallaire, a veteran of Instacart and Amazon, as his chief growth officer for Walmart U.S., charging him with developing tech-heavy lines of business, including advertising, media, and online marketplace ventures. 

And in 2025, Walmart moved its shares from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq—another clear signal that it wants to be seen as a tech-focused company.

Fortune Daily breaks the traditional barrier between audience and newsroom. The show transforms Fortune’s trusted reporting into actionable, conversational, and entertaining insights for an emerging class of business leaders. Watch here.
About the Author
Phil Wahba
By Phil WahbaSenior Writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Phil Wahba is a senior writer at Fortune primarily focused on leadership coverage, with a prior focus on retail.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Retail

McDonald’s CEO turns to a trusted lieutenant with a turnaround record to revive its biggest market
C-Suitechief executive officer (CEO)
McDonald’s CEO turns to a trusted lieutenant with a turnaround record to revive its biggest market
By Phil WahbaAugust 4, 2026
2 hours ago
Cloudflare just launched a permanent ID tool and wallet for AI shopping
AICloudFlare
Cloudflare just launched a permanent ID tool and wallet for AI shopping
By Jeff John RobertsAugust 4, 2026
8 hours ago
m
Retailearnings
McDonald’s U.S. sales growth stalls to 0.8% as gas prices bite
By Michelle Chapman and The Associated PressAugust 4, 2026
9 hours ago
The Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.
Real EstateLuxury
From Porsche penthouses to Nobu lofts: Inside the $67 billion boom in luxury branded residences
By Zahra TayebAugust 4, 2026
14 hours ago
Photo of Christopher Nolan
Arts & Entertainmentimax
‘A hidden gem’: Odyssey fans are shelling out up to $2,000 to buy 70mm IMAX tickets on eBay
By Sarah GlodekAugust 3, 2026
1 day ago
Tommy Bahama CEO Doug Wood
RetailFashion
Go ahead, make fun of Tommy Bahama. The CEO is happy to join you, and he’s probably not a fan of your preppy shorts
By Catherina GioinoAugust 3, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

How Zohran Mamdani's pied-à-terre tax exposed an epidemic of 'ghost cars' instead
Personal Finance
How Zohran Mamdani's pied-à-terre tax exposed an epidemic of 'ghost cars' instead
By Catherina GioinoAugust 4, 2026
14 hours ago
Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we're paying with our health
North America
Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we're paying with our health
By Catherina GioinoAugust 2, 2026
3 days ago
Wall Street bulls are starting to admit the earnings bubble is real—and the 60/40 portfolio may be the first casualty
Investing
Wall Street bulls are starting to admit the earnings bubble is real—and the 60/40 portfolio may be the first casualty
By Nick LichtenbergAugust 3, 2026
1 day ago
Ray Dalio on the AI bubble nearing 1929, 2000 levels and the lesson people always forget: 'Wealth is not the same as money'
Investing
Ray Dalio on the AI bubble nearing 1929, 2000 levels and the lesson people always forget: 'Wealth is not the same as money'
By Nick LichtenbergAugust 4, 2026
14 hours ago
The Iran war already has a winner: The world’s largest shipbroker notching record earnings from the 'exceptional volatility' in the Strait of Hormuz
Energy
The Iran war already has a winner: The world’s largest shipbroker notching record earnings from the 'exceptional volatility' in the Strait of Hormuz
By Sasha RogelbergAugust 3, 2026
1 day ago
Electric air taxis are finally ready for takeoff
Magazine
Electric air taxis are finally ready for takeoff
By Alexei OreskovicAugust 3, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.