You know 3D TV is going to be big if Walmart is jumping on the party bus this early. Apparently select stores will start selling the sets before the 2010 holiday shopping madness starts and the company even sees itself as the savior of the format by driving down the premium cost and preception. This actually could be huge for 3D TV.
Walmart has a massive consumer base. Bigger than any other retailer and so with the right marketing and in-store placement, it can make a product. MarketWatch points out that traditionally however the company doesn’t start selling electronics until it hits a 40% to 50% household penitration. Obviously 3D TV is no where close to that number right now and won’t be later this year, either.
But the move could be part of a plan to ramp up its electronic department’s offering and public opinion. Walmart might even be the first place a large portion of Americans see 3D TV for the first time. Talk about a coup against traditional big box retailers who are just getting in the game themselves.
It’s probably best that we don’t label 3D TV as a novelity or fade anymore. The format is probably here to stay thanks to Wally World.