Behind Sam's Club's 'epicenter of innovation'

Sam’s Club is calling its new 32,000-square-foot club in Dallas “the epicenter of innovation.”

The Bentonville, Ark.-based warehouse club chain said Sam’s Club Now, which opens next week, is a cashier-less and mobile-first shopping experience powered by the new Sam’s Club Now app. It is a quarter the size of an average club.

“There won’t be another club like it,” Sam’s Club stated in a press release announcing the club. “At its core, Sam’s Club Now will be a technology lab that doubles as a live, retail club. It’s where we will incubate, test and refine technologies to help define the future of retail.”

Since launching its Scan & Go app two years ago, Sam’s Club said it has seen its popularity continue to increase. More than 90 percent of members who try Scan & Go use it again on their next trip, and regular use is up 40 percent this year.

“So, we’re taking Scan & Go and making it the foundation of the new Sam’s Club Now app, which all members will use to shop here,” Sam’s Club, which features Member’s Mark as its private brand line, stated. “This will be an interactive experience, and they’ll help us test and refine new features before we launch them nationally.”

When Sam’s Club Now opens, here’s what members will be able to try:

• Smart shopping lists: Sam’s Club has developed intuitive technology that combines machine learning and purchase data to auto-fill a member’s shopping list. Members can easily add or remove things, and as items are scanned the list will automatically update and move the item to their mobile basket.
• Wayfinding and navigation: Using voice search capabilities combined with new wayfinding and navigation features, a map will pop up and take members right to what they need.
• Augmented reality: Sam’s Club said it will “bring items to life in the club by sharing new ways to use them, and we’ll work to integrate stories that highlight cool features, including how items are sourced.”
• One-hour club pickup: Using the app, members can now place and pickup an order within the hour.