Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), has revealed its Member’s Mark Community has surpassed 150,000 participants nationwide, representing a threefold increase in just two years.
The community gives members the ability to trial, test, taste, and recommend hundreds of exclusive Member’s Mark products, Sam’s Club’s private brand.
The rapid growth signals a broader shift from transactional to relational consumer engagement, with shoppers increasingly signaling they want to be known and cared for in a meaningful way.
Sam’s Club describes this dynamic as participation retail, positioning the community’s scale as a defining proof point of its leadership in that space.
“Today’s consumers are increasingly seeking value – not just in good prices and the right products – but also from relationships with brands where they feel their input is valued and even rewarded with offerings that meet their wants and needs,” said Jonah Berger, marketing professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“When consumers see themselves and retailers as partners, they move beyond simple transactions to more enduring engagement,” Berger added.
Originally established in 2019, the opt-in community reemerged at scale in June 2024 with 50,000 participants, and has since tripled, with 15,000 highly engaged members now participating in five or more activities per month.
Members have completed almost half a million activities to date, ranging from quick polls on exclusive flavors to hands-on prototype testing, with the most engaged members residing in Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and California.
The community’s feedback was instrumental in Sam’s Club reaching its initial “Made Without” milestone earlier this year, removing more than 40 unwanted ingredients from 100% of Member’s Mark food and beverage products.
“Membership is about more than access and savings. It’s about giving members a voice and it brings to life our belief that the best version of the Club is not something we create for our members, it is, importantly, something we create with our members,” said Myron Frazier, Chief Merchant for Sam’s Club.
“Sam’s Club is already co-creating with our members at scale, proof that collaborative relationships with consumers are not only possible, but possible in a way that distinguishes us in retail,” Frazier continued.
Community members have shared firsthand how the experience has resonated, with one participant who helped craft the company’s high-protein milk shakes noting, “That made me feel really important knowing that my voice was being heard.”
“It is wonderful to take a survey or test a product and go into the store and actually see it on the shelves and know that my opinion mattered to get that product there,” another community member recently shared.
R “Ray” Wang, founder and principal analyst with Constellation Research, said brands that can engage more deeply in participant relationships while powering those engagements with AI-powered innovation “will define leadership going forward.”
Sam’s Club hosted its first community live event in Grapevine, Texas, in February, where more than 200 local members previewed a spring collection and shared real-time feedback on fabric, fit, and functionality.
The company plans to expand these engagement opportunities throughout the remainder of the year, including listening sessions and Member’s Mark live events offering behind-the-scenes access to upcoming products across the country.
