Walmart recently unveiled a refreshed holiday strategy that pairs its well-known everyday low prices (including big deals for Black Friday and its annual Thanksgiving meal basket) with a suite of new, technology-driven shopping experiences aimed at making holiday shopping faster and easier. When shoppers use the Walmart app in-store, they spend on average 25 % more than when they don’t, with the implication that these new digital tools will further accelerate that trend.
On the in-store side, Walmart is rolling out a set of app-based tools that activate when customers walk into one of its locations. These include an “In-Store Savings” feature that surfaces local deals, Rollbacks and clearance items, and allows filtering by category and comparing prices. There’s also an enhanced Search & Navigation feature in-store: users can search for items, view whether it’s in stock and see the item’s aisle location in-store. Further, the app now allows shoppers to turn their saved wish lists into organized, aisle-sorted shopping trip, so it becomes more efficient to “check off” gifts from their list.
Beyond physical-store enhancements, Walmart is leaning heavily into AI and immersive digital experiences. For hosting and parties, the retailer’s “Sparky” AI assistant will craft a full list of items based on the occasion. Additionally, Walmart is introducing AI-generated audio summaries of product details and reviews (initially across over 1,000 premium beauty products) so shoppers can “listen” to product insights.
In the home-décor space, Walmart is launching augmented-reality style features: shoppers can click items in a scene (e.g., artwork, accent chairs) to add to the cart, and view immersive 3-D showrooms where entire furnished spaces—holiday themed or otherwise—can be adjusted.
Walmart positions these enhancements as part of its broader omnichannel strategy, bringing tech-powered convenience to both in-store and online/mobile experiences. These new tools are live “now” via the Walmart app and Walmart.com.
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