Walmart rolls out checkout shortcuts
Retailer will let you pinpoint items in stores and buy them right in the aisle
This holiday season, Walmart shoppers can use a digital map to find the toy or TV they’re looking for, then make the purchase right in the aisle where they find it. ❚ Starting Thursday, shoppers can skip the cash registers and use a credit card to make purchases in the busiest sections of a Walmart store. Employees stationed there will take the shopper’s payment, then hand them a receipt.
Shoppers also won’t have to wander in circles to find the sweater, gaming console, or smart speaker they’re looking for. By early November, they can visit any Walmart location, click on the retailer’s app, and pinpoint the location of whatever item they’re needing to tick off their holiday list.
The holiday season is the most important time of the year for the retail industry, and stores are fighting for every last customer by making the shopping experience as convenient, simple and quick as possible.
Checkout is a particularly important service to get right, says Steve Bratspies, chief merchandising officer for Walmart U.S.
“We always want that to be ... easy and fast and convenient for them,’’ he said about Walmart’s customers in a call about Walmart’s holiday plans.
Stores such as Target and Walmart also are taking on e-commerce giant Amazon by leveraging their networks of stores. Walmart will host 190,000 events, from toy demonstrations to photos with Santa, starting Nov. 3 through Christmas Eve.
This will be the first holiday season in decades without Toys R Us, and Walmart, the nation’s largest toy seller, has announced that it will have bigger toy aisles in some stores and sell 40 percent more toys online.
The retailer has made upgrades and other changes that it hopes will appeal to gift buyers, including offering more premium brands through a partnership with Lord & Taylor.
Walmart.com will have a space dedicated to bargains, and gift guides and holiday offerings in its online hubs focused on clothing and home items.