<p>It’s been a harsh winter for Wal-Mart and shoppers alike. After reporting its smallest growth in quarterly sales in almost <B>five years</b>, shares fell approximately 3% before the bell on Thursday, according to Reuters. This is the <B>fifth consecutive quarter</b> of stagnant or negative same store sales, so what's happening? Wal-Mart claims it’s due to bad weather, but <B>could it be something more?</b><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Analysts note that Wal-Mart’s quarter may also have been disrupted by <B>price comparison reports</b> as well as the <B>struggling lower-income consumer</b> base. With further competition in the brick-and-mortar space, how can the world’s largest retailer continue to expand in times like these? Are small format stores the key, or more investments in e-commerce?<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Consolidated net sales for the first quarter were $114.2 billion, an increase of 0.8% over last year. Same-store sales dropped by about 20 basis points, while <B>customer visits fell 1.4%</b>, according to the report. As of 1:27 PM ET, shares are down $2.01 to $76.73, a 2.55% decrease.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Wal-Mart’s underlying business is solid, and I’m confident in our long-term strategies,” said President and CEO Doug McMillon. “We remained focused on growth across the enterprise, <B>especially in small formats</b> like Neighborhood Market in the U.S.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">As we recently reported on ANUK, Wal-Mart’s online sales growth actually <B>beat Amazon’s</b>, and sales worldwide rose approximately 27%. Check out our previous story, linked below. There won’t be any more weather woes to fall back on now that we’re moving into the warmer months. <B>Is e-commerce the key</b> to building the business back up?</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.andnowuknow.com/headlines/wal-mart-overtakes-amazon-web-sales-growth-2013/11720/christofer-oberst" target="_new"> Click here to read: Wal-Mart Overtakes Amazon in Web Sales Growth in 2013 </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>“We have the opportunity to create transformative growth through <B>stronger e-commerce capabilities</b>,” continued McMillon. “Our investments are focused on improving customer experience and fulfillment capacity. We’re working to deliver a relevant, personalized, and seamless customer experience across all channels to further grow sales.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">It might have been a slow quarter, but it’s apparent that the company has been trying to keep its sales up with further investments into e-commerce and plans to reduce prices for organic groceries. Are these latest results a sign that Wal-Mart will continue to revamp its strategy?<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue our coverage on Wal-Mart’s financial performance. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://stock.walmart.com" target="_new"> Wal-Mart </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
