Costco is doing it again! This wholesale store is very popular in many parts of the world, but mostly in the United States. Walmart and Target are other popular stores in the country, but Costco is making some changes in the technology field to make their customers happy not to compete against other companies.
I’m sure you have at least heard of its name once, so let’s find out why this company is so popular and what those positive changes are.
Costco and technology
Costco is one of the most popular wholesale companies in the United States. It isn’t known for its high investment on technology, it is a more traditional company that focuses on their clients and their products.
However, either you update yourself according to the current times or your clients won’t be as comfortable as before. So, this is the main reason why Costco is improving their systems. Their goal is to make their customers’ purchase experience much easier and much closer to their needs.
Check the Costco app!
They already had an app to buy online, but they have improved it for their members. Yes, to buy at Costco you need to be a member, but you will have many advantages we will later see.
Concerning the app, what’s new now is the fact that members can search for the availability and prices of products in the stores from the comfort of your smartphone, anywhere and anytime.
This update will be advantageous when planning your next purchase, since you will be able to see if you can buy certain products or not at your store. Or imagine you are craving for something special and you go to a Costco store and you find out there isn’t any, with this update you won’t need to leave your house for no reason.
Pay with Affirm
Costco has partnered with Affirm which is a platform that offers members the option of paying for their purchases in installments. Every purchase from $500 to $17,500 could be paid in periods up to 36 months – 3 months being the minimum periods of installments. Wait, is that all? Isn’t there any trick? Well, with installments come interest taxes, so you will also have them ranging from 10% and 36% per year.
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Another initiative the company is developing is rewarding their members with a 5% bonus when they purchase gasoline on their gas stations. They have been testing this idea and it has increased the number of sales of gasoline.
Results of the adaptation to the new times
The company is still strong in the United States of America and Canada, but not so much in Europe. In February of 2025, they reported $19.81 billion earnings which translates into 8.8% more of sales than in the previous year. Also, the Canada stores have raised their sales up to 3.2%, it seems not so much but they are growing.
However, this is not the same in places like Spain. Costco is still seen as a new company outside of the U.S.A. Currently, they have included two stores in two Spanish cities – Madrid and Seville.
Costco has heard its customers’ needs and they are doing very well having in mind the sales numbers. They have adapted to the new technology era as people are more used to using technology for their everyday life activities. Apart from the technology updates, they are well aware of the appeal of a good old discount and that’s what they are doing. Costco is mixing traditional and modern market strategies which work for their members. We’ll see if they achieve their popularity in other places.