Walmart made its CES 2024 debut, partnering with Microsoft to unveil AI-powered shopping experiences. Walmart’s CEO, Doug McMillon, revealed their plan to integrate AI across their digital platforms. The AI, driven by large language models, will merge Walmart’s retail-specific search functions with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service.
Accessible on mobile devices and their website, this AI offers innovative search features. Shoppers can now request product recommendations for specific occasions using natural language. After a search, algorithms curate a list of the most relevant items, challenging Google’s SGE and Amazon’s product listing program.
Beyond consumer applications, Walmart’s AI initiatives aim to streamline employee tasks. Sam’s Club, a Walmart subsidiary, will implement AI tools to verify customer purchases, eliminating the need for manual receipt checks.
Walmart teased ‘Walmart InHome Replenishment,’ an AI-driven service predicting replenishment needs for shoppers, building upon its ‘InHome’ program available to Walmart+ members since 2019.
Augmented reality will also play a role in Walmart’s future shopping experience. ‘Shop with Friends’ offers social commerce, allowing shoppers to share virtual outfits with friends for feedback.
Lastly, Walmart expands its drone delivery testing program in Texas, offering 1.8 million more households access to 30-minute deliveries.
Walmart’s CES 2024 appearance signifies a commitment to revolutionizing retail through AI and innovation, promising enhanced shopping experiences for consumers and more efficient tools for employees.
