Walmart has announced five new AI-powered digital tools aimed at making shopping easier and faster. The retail giant said the application aims to drive in-store shopping and improve the customer experience.
Built into the Walmart app, this tool is personalized for every location and comes into play when shoppers walk into a Walmart store. According to Walmart, customers who use the app while shopping in a store spend on average 25% more on trips than those who don’t use the app.
The new tools include a savings feature that allows customers to see what products are on sale at their local Walmart store, which customers have requested. With this tool, shoppers can find discounts on Black Friday sales, price rollbacks, clearance items, and more with just one tap. Walmart says customers can also filter products by category and compare prices. The retailer said the shopping tools are now available in U.S. stores.
Customers in-store can search for products just like they would when shopping online, and the app shows the location of the product in-store. Walmart also uses AI to generate audio summaries of product details and customer reviews for shoppers. The retail giant said audio summaries are available on 1,000 premium beauty products.
“The most wonderful time of the year should be fun, and with the power of AI and technology, we’re making it possible,” said Tracy Polliot, senior vice president of Walmart US Shopping Experience. “Whether our customers are doing their holiday shopping in-store or from the comfort of their own home, we’re giving them the tools to check off their list faster and easier than ever before.”
Walmart’s announcement and launch comes as a shopper survey shows the majority of consumers plan to do more holiday shopping in stores this year. This reverses the trend of weak store foot traffic from late August to September, according to data from Placer.ai.
According to a recent survey by marketing firm Quad, 75% of consumers say shopping in a store helps them feel connected to family and friends, and 76% say shopping in a store is a “holiday ritual.” Shopping at physical stores also has the thrill of a treasure hunt. That’s why 66% say it’s the best way to find the gifts they love.
Quad also found that 72% of consumers say they are more confident buying higher-quality products when shopping in-store, and 70% say they feel more confident buying more expensive products in-store, compared to just 30% when shopping online. Nearly 7 in 10 people say they trust a deal to be “real” when they see it in a store rather than online.
