Walmart wants Babies R Us consumers following its demise

Walmart is officially moving big into the baby business, just weeks after Babies ‘R’ Us shuttered its last store.

The retail giant announced on Thursday that it has launched a “new shopping destination” for all things baby. The new site allows online shoppers to design their nurseries with the company’s new “shop by style” options.

Over the last year, Walmart has been dramatically expanding its baby assortments across all of its baby categories to gear up for the launch.

A company spokesperson told FOX Business that it has added more than 30,000 baby-themed items online and that they have seen nearly a 40% increase in searches for baby-related search terms on its website, year over year.

The move toward baby items online follows not only the Babies ‘R’ Us fall from grace but also Walmart’s grander web redesign, which initially started with its fashion and homes categories earlier this year.

Lauren Uppington, vice president and general manager of Walmart’s U.S. baby division, said they timed the release for mid-summer because it has historically been “when most babies are born.”

“It also follows efforts to create a new in-store experience in the baby department in more than 2,000 stores across the country,” she said in a statement.

But it’s not just Walmart looking at capturing the hole left behind by Babies ‘R’ Us, Target and Amazon have also made bigger plays over that last year.

Target, for instance, has expanded its private-label brand Cloud Island with more diaper bags and crib sheets. It has also plugged a “free gift bag” for expecting moms who create a baby registry at any of its stores.

While Amazon made news earlier this year when it threw a baby shower for reality TV star Khloe Kardashian to promote its baby registries to her more than 70 million Instagram followers.