Can Walmart Capture Gen Z With No Boundaries’ Refresh?

Walmart is relaunching a 30-year-old store brand, “No Boundaries,” with broader assortments, elevated styling, and major digital marketing muscle in hopes of capturing a larger share of Gen Z’s wallet.

“We are going after this Gen Z target market in a big way,” Denise Incandela, EVP of fashion at Walmart U.S., said last week at the CommerceNext conference in New York, according to Reuters. The annual volume for No Boundaries, often abbreviated as “NOBO,” is already about $2 billion.

As part of the brand refresh, Walmart for the first time hired a team of dedicated fashion designers to the No Boundaries brand, reflecting a shift in how the retailer is building and reintroducing a brand for a specific demographic.

In an interview with WWD, Incandela said that Walmart typically used input from several manufacturers to churn out “volume driving programs,” but it is now thinking about brand DNA and creating “a cohesive brand with a clear reason for being.” Specifically, the idea is to position No Boundaries as a brand that “inspires and celebrates the potential of self-expression.” 

In its announcement, Walmart described No Boundaries’ DNA as “style rooted in casual trend and weekend wear with of-the-moment, youthful essentials designed to make their own.”

Style highlights include baggy-fit jeans, drop shoulders, cropped tees, and oversized sweat sets with a focus on mixing and matching. Performance fabrics like seamless stretch, power mesh, lux fleece, and authentic denim are being highlighted.

No Boundaries’ updated range is broadened to 130 pieces across apparel, intimates, shoes, and accessories with fits ranging from XXS to 5X in young women’s and XS to 3X in young men’s. The brand will introduce its first sleepwear line and the first-ever plant-based bra pad made from over 75% sugarcane in select styles.

In marketing, No Boundaries’ launch will be backed by a major marketing push on TikTok, Instagram, and Roblox.

Budget prices will be core to the label’s appeal, with pricing closer to Old Navy than Target. According to Walmart, 80% of the products across the range are below $15, including printed tees, shirttail dresses, and short shorts at $5.

Trial of the line is expected to benefit from Walmart’s position as America’s most-visited store. Jen Jackson Brown, SVP of Walmart U.S. fashion brands, said, “We have 145 million U.S. customers shopping with us in stores and online each week, and the new No Boundaries brand is designed and marketed with intention to reach this young adult audience by focusing on fit, quality, style and fabrics that resonate with them.”

General merchandisers as well as department stores have long struggled to reach younger consumers. Target, often commended for its fashion offerings, introduced three store brands in 2018 — including its Wild Fable and Original Use apparel lines. At the time, Coresight Research found that Target’s apparel appeal “tails off rapidly beyond the 30–44 age group.”