Walmart is making significant strides in the use of augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance its retail operations. Desirée Gosby, Vice President of Emerging Technology at Walmart Global Tech, highlighted the importance of AR and related technologies in improving customer experiences and productivity. Walmart has been investing in AR for the past 2.5 years and is now focused on creating a transformational experience for both customers and associates. To achieve this, Walmart is exploring technologies such as spatial awareness, conversational AI, and more.
AR Experiences and Benefits
Walmart has already released several AR applications, but its latest experiences go beyond visual representations. They are interactive and social, allowing customers to discover and share new items. The company is building its AR tech to provide truly immersive shopping journeys, bringing customers into virtual environments. The core AR platform, Retina, powers most of Walmart’s AR experiences, enabling businesses within the company to innovate and create immersive experiences. By leveraging AI, Walmart has been able to scale its AR experiences effectively. Customer-facing AR products include virtual try-on in various categories such as beauty, hair, makeup, apparel, optical, and home furnishings.
Improving Conversion Rates and Reducing Returns
According to Gosby, when customers interact with the suite of AR features, Walmart has observed improvements in conversion rates, reductions in return rates, and enhancements in add-to-cart rates. As customers become more tech-savvy, they expect innovative technologies that make shopping easier and more immersive. Walmart plans to continue evolving its AR experiences to meet these expectations.
Future of AR in Retail
While many AR solutions focus on customers’ devices, Walmart’s long-term vision is to create an AR experience that rivals the immersive, interactive, and social nature of in-person shopping. The company aims to bring customers into experiences that go beyond visual representations and mimic the real-world shopping experience.
AR Experiences Coming Soon
In addition to its overarching AR future of retail, Walmart has a few experiences in the pipeline. These include a dynamic showroom, a “Shop With Friends” application for social shopping, and an AR paint application. By allowing customers to virtually try on items and share their choices with friends to get feedback, Walmart aims to make the shopping experience more interactive and engaging.
Improving Productivity for Workers
Walmart is also utilizing XR (extended reality) technologies to improve productivity for its associates. Currently, the company uses AR applications on smartphones to help employees find products in the store more efficiently. However, Walmart recognizes that XR headsets and glasses are improving and may become a scalable solution in the future. The company is also using headsets for training purposes, such as active shooter training, which enables them to cover various scenarios in a short amount of time. These technologies not only save time but also reduce costs. Walmart’s main goal is to make associates working with customers more effective by leveraging AR assets in the stores.
Looking Ahead
Walmart is committed to integrating cutting-edge technologies into its retail operations. The company is exploring various techniques, including generative AI, procedural generation, and photogrammetry, to scale its AR experiences effectively. As it continues to invest in AR and related technologies, Walmart aims to create innovative and immersive shopping experiences for its customers while enhancing productivity for its associates. By combining different technologies and incorporating AR into gaming environments, Walmart is poised to meet the evolving needs of its customers and provide an augmented reality journey that goes beyond mere 3D representation.