Walmart’s test store for new technology, Sam’s Club Now, opens next week in Dallas
Walmart’s warehouse club, Sam’s Club is preparing to open the doors at a new Dallas area store that will serve as a testbed for the latest in retail technology. Specifically, the retailer will test out new concepts like mobile checkout, an Amazon Go-like camera system for inventory management, electronic shelf labels, wayfinding technology for in-store navigation, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence-infused shopping, among other things. ...
Meanwhile, the app will allow Sam’s Club to test augmented reality as a way of highlighting “stories’ about the products being sold and their features, as well as providing a way to find out how items are sourced. This seems more gimmicky, though, as it’s unlikely that customers are interested in this sort of “infotainment” when just trying to get their shopping done.
Down the road, a system of over 700 cameras will be used to help the retailer manage the inventory and optimize the store layout.
On the shelves, it’s also testing electronic shelf labels that will instantly update prices, eliminating the need to print out paper signage.
These are not third-party systems, the retailer says.
The store plans to rapidly iterate on new and different experiences across computer vision, A.I., A.R., machine learning, and robotics.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/28/walmarts-test-store-for-new-technology-sams-club-now-opens-next-week-in-dallas/