Table of Contents
LAS VEGAS — Doug McMillon and several other members of Walmart’s management team discussed their vision of a new type of commerce — adaptive retailing — at the Consumer Electronics Show here yesterday. Driven by the needs of customers and associates, the concept hinges on technology and its role in creating an interconnected and frictionless shopping experience.
“We build technology to serve people and not the other way around,” said Doug McMillon, the company’s president and CEO. “Walmart’s purpose is to help people live better, and, today, more than ever, advances in technology make it feel like anything is possible. Our technology roadmap is compelling and we’re very excited about it, but we’re clear that we are a people-led, tech-powered company. People, our customers and associates, come first and we’ll put technology to work to serve them better than ever.”
Together with an impressive roster of the retailer’s top executives — including chief people officer Donna Morris, chief technology and development officer Suresh Kumar, chief merchandising officer Latriece Watkins, and Sam’s Club chief merchant Megan Crozier — as well as Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, one of the retailer’s key technology partners, McMillon laid out a compelling case for what Walmart can do to make the lives of its customers better while adhering to its core commitment of enabling people to save money.
Among the consumer-facing initiatives highlighted by the executives were innovations in artificial intelligence and artificial reality designed to streamline and simplify shopping, including new generative AI-powered search and in-home replenishment, along with a beta-stage social commerce platform called Shop with Friends. In addition, Walmart is expanding drone delivery in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, offering 1.8 million additional households the service. And Sam’s Club has started to roll out advanced technology across the chain to save members time as they leave the store.
“While omnichannel retail has been around for decades, this new type of retail takes it a step further,” noted Kumar. “It’s retail that is not only e-commerce 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.”
Along with the consumer-oriented developments, the executives announced plans to expand Walmart’s proprietary My Assistant tool, which, among other things, helps draft and summarize documents. In the coming year, headquarters associates in 11 countries will be able to interact with My Assistant in their native language. Finally, Walmart committed to ambitious clean energy goals at CES.
