Walmart embraces new era of retail with omnichannel test stores
Walmart is to use four US stores as test centres in order to find solutions that help its physical locations operate as both shopping destinations and online fulfilment centres.
Two are up and running and two more are in the pipeline.
“We will continuously rotate new technology, digital tools and physical enhancements in and out of the stores, all with the intention of helping our associates better and more easily serve our customers,” says John Crecelius, SVP of Associate Product and Next Generation Stores, Walmart US.
“To increase the speed at which we learn, product and technology teams will be embedded in the stores to prototype, test and iterate solutions in real-time, scaling what works and scrapping what doesn’t, creating a true rapid prototype environment.”
The retailer is testing out the likes of omni-assortment. “Not everything stocked in stores today can be found online. In our first test store, we’re moving most of the in-store apparel assortment online, and we will continue to identify other hard-to-manage categories that we can work to make available,” Crecelius says.
“By doing so, we’ll learn what it takes to make all eligible items in the store truly omni, available for customers online and in the store.”
New era of retail
Walmart has also developed an app that speeds up the time it takes to get items from the backroom to the salesfloor. Instead of scanning each box individually, associates hold up a handheld device and the app uses augmented reality to highlight the boxes that are ready to go.
The stores will also deploy a checkout experience introduced earlier this year. Different hardware and software solutions will be tested.
“In this new era of retail, assets that used to serve a single purpose will transform into flexible, scalable assets that can be used in multiple ways to serve customers how, when and where they need,” Crecelius comments.
“Evolving our stores is just the beginning. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll share more about how we’re reimagining our other physical assets to better serve the needs of customers today and into the future.”
