Walmart, Sam's Club Invest in Customer Experience
Walmart said Thursday that it plans to expand its digital shelf label technology to 2,300 stores by 2026. Sam’s Club, Walmart’s club format, also debuted a community feedback network that will allow it to improve private label products before they hit shelves.
The digital shelf label rollout was announced following a successful test in Grapevine, Texas.
“This represents a significant shift in how I, and other store associates, manage pricing, inventory, order fulfillment, and customer interactions, ensuring our customers enjoy an even better shopping experience,” wrote Daniela Boscan, food and consumable team lead for Walmart, in a blog post.
The digital shelf labels, developed by Vusion Group, cut down the time it takes to modify the price tags for roughly 120,000 products on shelves, allowing employees to spend more time with shoppers, noted Boscan.
Prices are updated using a mobile application. Additional benefits from the system include a “Stock to Light” feature that allows employees to flash an LED light on any shelf tags that require attention, making it easier to identify which areas require stocking, said Boscan. Moreover, a “Pick to Light” feature helps guide employees around the store to select items needed for online orders.
“The transition to digital shelf labels is a game-changer for Walmart, our customers and our associates. It is not only about improving efficiency and customer satisfaction, but also about integrating sustainability into our work, in this case, to help reduce operational waste,” wrote Boscan.
To continue to find solutions to connect with customers, Sam’s Club revealed Thursday an initiative to get customer input when developing private-label products. Called the Member’s Mark Community, an opt-in network of roughly 50,000 shoppers who will provide input on products before they reach clubs, including testing new items.
“At Sam’s Club, we have a long history of listening to feedback from our members and putting their needs at the center of everything we do. It’s an integral part of how we develop our Member’s Mark products, and in today’s ‘experience economy,’ our approach sets us apart from other retailers in ways that deliver real value to our members,” said Megan Crozier, chief merchant at Sam’s Club, in a statement. “The Member’s Mark Community goes beyond traditional focus groups and surveys, with true engagement that will shape the future of retail by creating more personalized experiences for our members.”