Vizio's hardware pricing strategy has historically relied on selling smart televisions at slim hardware margins or near cost to capture massive market share in retail stores. The company built its underlying business model around monetizing user data and selling high-margin targeted digital advertisements through its proprietary SmartCast platform rather than relying solely on hardware markups. Furthermore, its equity valuation was structurally capped prior to its complete acquisition by retail giant Walmart at $11.50 per share in cash.