In 2025, Amazon and Walmart intensified their rivalry by shifting from operational efficiency to ecosystem control, layering new revenue from media, data, subscriptions, and AI.
Key Takeaways
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Ecosystem control defines retail competition: Amazon and Walmart now aim to own the interfaces and protocols of transaction discovery, not just the sales themselves.
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Amazon monetizes presence: By embedding itself across devices, content, and AI layers, Amazon seeks to control attention through omnipresent commerce surfaces.
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Walmart monetizes proximity: Leveraging store networks and first-party data, Walmart is transforming physical retail into a high-margin media and data ecosystem.
