Focus on frictionless shopping and curbside and home delivery orders as Sam’s Club preps a physical first

Sam’s Club is gearing up to open a pilot frictionless store in Grapevine, Texas, its first activity in this space. Customers will shop and pay for purchases using Scan & Go, a feature of the Walmart owned retailer’s app.

This lets member use their mobile devices to scan items as they shop, complete payment and skip the checkout line. Sam’s Club has also been testing frictionless shopping via its Scan & Go app in an innovation lab store called Sam’s Club Now since 2018.

In place of checkouts, it will display large items with QR codes which customers can scan to obtain more information or purchase online for home delivery.

The store will also fulfill curbside and home delivery orders.

“It’s kind of the physical manifestation of a journey we’re trying to go on as a company,” Sam’s Club CEO Chris Nicholas told CNBC. “The idea is that over time, we will be 100% digital engagement as a business and you’ve got to prove that things work before you scale them.”

Sam’s Club MAP

In July, we reported that Sam’s Club’s Member Access Platform (MAP) was launching display ads in the Scan & Go app to help members easily find more products while they shop in-store.

This unlocks a new way to measure member shopping behaviour and ad performance in-club with MAP’s closed-loop attribution.

The capability will help advertisers reach more Sam’s Club members and deliver a more engaging experience, as part of Sam’s Club’s broader approach to digital engagement.

Sam’s Club MAP is pitched as the first and only retail media platform to integrate ads in a mobile, self-checkout app experience.

Members who opt-in will see display ads on the cart page that dynamically refresh after each new product scan, enhancing their shopping experience and helping them discover products as they check out with Scan & Go.

This feature enables advertisers to reach members at the point of conversion and may help drive incremental sales of associated or halo products.

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Frictionless stores are a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which is now open for entries.

The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Key 2024 dates

Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed

30th October-6th November: Judging days

Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.