During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Walmart revealed how cutting-edge technologies would transform the world’s largest retailer into a customer-centric, interconnected, and frictionless commerce platform. The company emphasized its commitment to ongoing innovation and outlined how technology advancements would benefit customers, associates, and society at large.
Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart Inc., highlighted the company’s approach, stating, “We build technology to serve people and not the other way around.” He emphasized Walmart’s dedication to prioritizing people, including customers and associates, and leveraging technology to enhance their experience.
Walmart showcased the integration of technologies such as AI, GenAI, and AR to redefine its role from a shopping destination to a customer’s concierge. Specific advancements included:
Walmart showcased the integration of technologies such as AI, GenAI, and AR to redefine its role from a shopping destination to a customer’s concierge. Specific advancements included:
- GenAI-powered Search Experience: Walmart introduced an enhanced search experience powered by GenAI, enabling iOS customers to search by specific use cases, providing relevant, cross-category results tailored to the customer’s needs.
- Walmart InHome Replenishment: A preview of this service demonstrated how AI and Walmart’s replenishment expertise ensure customers’ online shopping carts are filled with the right items at the right time, with delivery directly into their refrigerators.
- Shop with Friends: Walmart introduced a beta social commerce platform called “Shop with Friends,” combining AR shopping with social interaction. Customers can share virtual outfits they create, seek feedback from friends, and enhance their fashion finds collaboratively.
The emphasis on adaptive retail extends beyond search and discovery, focusing on delivering personalized, seamless, and flexible shopping experiences from the beginning to the end of the customer journey.
The GenAI-powered search introduces an improved searching experience, enhancing the overall shopping journey by enabling customers to search based on specific use cases. This innovation generates more relevant and cross-category results, streamlining the process into a single, easy search. For instance, a customer can enter “football watch party” and instantly discover all related items, eliminating the need for multiple searches.
GenAI search considers various factors, including location, search history, and contextual information, to further refine results for customers. The technology leverages a combination of Walmart’s proprietary data and technology, along with large language models like those available in Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and retail-specific models developed by Walmart. The redesigned search experience provides customers with a curated list of the best-matched items.
Suresh Kumar, Global Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer at Walmart Inc., emphasized the significance of adaptive retail, stating, “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.”
In alignment with this focus, Sam’s Club introduced a groundbreaking technology addressing a common concern for its members – waiting in line for receipt verification when exiting the club. This technology employs a first-of-its-kind application of AI and computer vision technology to enhance convenience for members as they exit the club.
Walmart Unveiled Largest Drone Delivery Expansion for Swift, Convenient Service
Walmart has unveiled its largest drone delivery expansion in the U.S., targeting the ultimate convenience for customers with deliveries in as little as 30 minutes. The retail giant is extending drone delivery to 1.8 million additional households, covering 75% of the Dallas Fort-Worth metroplex. Among the 120,000 items available at a Supercenter, 75% meet the size and weight criteria for drone delivery.
Prathibha Rajashekhar, Senior Vice President of Innovation & Automation at Walmart U.S., expressed excitement about bringing drone delivery convenience to communities in the DFW area. Walmart’s drone delivery expansion spans over 30 towns and municipalities in the metroplex, making it the first time a U.S. retailer has offered drone delivery to this many households in a single market. The deliveries will be facilitated by FAA-approved on-demand drone delivery providers, Wing and Zipline, both capable of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.
Drone delivery ensures swift options, with items reaching customers in as little as 30 minutes, and some deliveries in as fast as 10 minutes. This complements other rapid delivery methods like Express Delivery, Late-Night Delivery, and InHome, which allows delivery directly to a customer’s refrigerator.
Walmart has conducted over 20,000 safe drone deliveries in the last two years, with customers utilizing the service for various reasons, including last-minute needs and convenient deliveries. Popular items ordered via drones include snacks, beverages, and multiple items for occasions like movie nights or baking sessions.
Customers can order a wide range of items, from baby wipes to birthday candles, with a delivery radius of up to 10 miles from participating stores. Walmart collaborates with drone experts like Wing and Zipline, focusing on speed, safety, and sustainability to serve customers in the most efficient and flexible ways possible. Wing, with four years of residential service experience in the U.S. and on three continents, employs a network approach to scaled drone delivery, similar to efficient rideshares, ensuring the swift and secure movement of millions of packages.
Walmart to Expand My Assistant Tool Globally, Empowering Associates in 11 Countries with Enhanced Capabilities
While many companies focus on developing top-tier technology for their customers, Walmart is committed to delivering a similar level of experience to its 2.1 million associates worldwide. Last August, the company introduced a GenAI tool, My Assistant, for U.S. and Canada campus-based associates, developed in-house by Walmart’s tech team.
Walmart unveiled plans to extend its proprietary My Assistant tool globally. In the coming year, campus associates in 11 countries will have the ability to interact with My Assistant in their native language. My Assistant, designed to expedite drafting processes, act as a creative partner, and summarize large documents, is revolutionizing how associates work and tackle challenges.
As a company dedicated to developing technology for the greater good, Walmart has been on an environmental sustainability journey since 2005. Currently, more than 47% of its operations are powered by renewable energy, with plans to reach over 50% by 2025 and 100% by 2035. Walmart also announces ambitious clean energy goals at CES.
By the end of 2030, the company aims to advance its transition to emissions-free energy by enabling up to 10 gigawatts of new clean energy projects on- and off-site – equivalent to the annual power consumption of more than 2 million households. This initiative will empower tens of thousands of U.S. households to save on their electricity bills.
