Sam’s Club elevates in-store shopping experience for customers, associates
Sam’s Club is deploying a variety of solutions to improve the store experience for shoppers and associates.
The warehouse club retailer, a division of Walmart, is utilizing the following in-store technologies:
Exit technology
Sam’s Club is using what it calls a first-of-a-kind exit solution that uses computer vision and digital technology to streamline the verification of receipts and the general exit process. Shopping cart images are captured by cameras and, using artificial intelligence (A.I.) in the background, the solution seamlessly authenticates payments. This eliminates the wait at the exit while also enabling associates to engage with customers.
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The retail is currently piloting this technology in 10 locations, with plans to roll out to all stores by the end of the year, which Sam’s Club says makes it the first retailer to implement this type of technology at this scale.
Digital cake ordering
In response to negative customer feedback about the previous manual process for ordering cakes was a hassle, Sam’s Club has introduced digital cake ordering to 30 stores, with plans to roll out to all locations throughout 2024.
Now customers can customize their cake, add to cart, schedule their cake pickup and shop for other groceries and supplies in a single transaction. Sam’s Club says it will continue refining the digital cake ordering experience based on shopper feedback. The retailer has also added other new features to its shopper app, such as an A.I.-powered "Did You Forget" prompt that helps a customer remember their favorite items.
Automated inventory tracking
A mobile employee app called “Own Your Inventory” receives automated inventory actions and reports from the scanning tower delivered to associates digitally, and an application called “Fresh” was designed specifically to help associates identify the right quantity and specifications for all fresh items that are produced daily.
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Sam’s Club offers associates these apps in addition to its established employee apps such as the Ask Sam informational tool.
Dedicated innovation space
Clubhouse, a new 37,000-square-foot design thinking studio first announced in 2022, is set to open on the Sam’s Club corporate campus in summer 2024. Once completed, the studio will serve as an innovation engine, where the retailer will test products and design new, enhanced experiences for customers and associates.
"I’m proud that Sam’s Club stands out among retailers deploying the latest technologies making members’ and associates’ lives more convenient and meaningful," Todd Garner, interim chief product officer, Sam’s Club, said in a corporate blog post. "When you take the art of retailing and you keep it people-led and tech powered – that’s where the magic happens. It's powerful when you get the balance right."
Bentonville, Ark.-based Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart, operates nearly 600 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
This story originally appeared on Chain Store Age.
