Walmart Boosting AI Use To Enhance Customer Experience

Walmart unveiled several new technologies at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that will make use of artificial intelligence to enhance the shopping experience for its customers.

During a keynote address at CES, Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillion, showcased how some of the latest technologies will allow the world’s largest retailer to deliver a new type of commerce – one that is customer-centric, interconnected, frictionless and consistently exceeds expectations. Additionally, he outlined the retailer’s plan for ongoing innovation; specifically, how the technology it builds will benefit customers and members, its associate team and society.

“We build technology to serve people and not the other way around,” said McMillon. “Walmart’s purpose is to help people live better and, today, more than ever, advances in technology make it feel like anything is possible. Our technology roadmap is compelling and we’re very excited about it, but we’re clear that we are a people-led, tech-powered company. People, our customers and associates, come first and we’ll put technology to work to serve them better than ever.”

At CES, Walmart showcased how technologies such as AI, GenAI, and AR will reimagine Walmart’s role as a shopping destination to serve as a customer’s concierge, acting as their partner in achieving broader missions. Specifically, Walmart revealed:

• A new GenAI-powered search experience now available to iOS customers. The enhanced search experience allows customers to now search by specific use cases, e.g., a football watch party versus individual searches for chips, wings, drinks and a 90-inch TV. It generates relevant, cross-category results.
• A sneak peek into Walmart InHome Replenishment, which uses AI and Walmart’s decades of replenishment expertise to ensure customers’ online shopping carts are filled with the right items at the right time and delivered into a refrigerator in a kitchen or garage.
• A beta social commerce platform called Shop with Friends that takes AR shopping to the next level by enabling customers to share the virtual outfits they create with friends and get feedback on their fashion finds.

“While omnichannel retail has been around for decades, this new type of retail – adaptive retail – takes it a step further,” said Suresh Kumar, global chief technology officer and chief development officer, Walmart Inc. “It’s retail that is not only eCommerce or in-store, but a single, unified retail experience that seamlessly blends the best aspects of all channels. And for Walmart, adaptive retail is rooted in a clear focus on people.”

With that in mind, Sam’s Club unveiled a new technology that aims to solve a key concern for its members – waiting in line for receipt verification when exiting the club. The technology uses a first-of-its-kind application of AI and computer vision technology to deliver new levels of convenience as members exit their club.

Walmart also announced the expansion of its drone delivery service to 1.8 million additional households in the Dallas Fort-Worth metroplex – 75% of the area. Of the 120,000 items in a Supercenter, 75% meet the size and weight requirements for drone delivery.

On the sustainability side, the retailer said it is on track to power more than 50% of its operations with renewable energy by 2025 and 100% by 2035. Also, by the end of 2030, the company aims to advance its transition toward emissions-free energy by enabling up to 10 gigawatts of new clean energy projects into service on- and off-site – the equivalent of the annual power consumption of more than 2 million households. This will enable tens of thousands of U.S. households to save on their electricity bills.