Walmart has added features to its mobile app to help customers navigate stores quicker, including making Walmart Pay, the search bar and scanner more accessible and user friendly. The company announced the rebranded Store Assistant in a blog post.
Within the app customers can read reviews, locate items in store and check prices. They can also create a virtual shopping list, find out which items are in stock before leaving home, and check them off as they go. As items are added to the list, the app calculates the total order cost, including tax.
To help customers physically find items via the app, improved navigation and maps are being rolled out at Walmart stores.
Users can also see what departments are located in a particular store, as well as department and store hours and phone numbers.
Walmart hinted at future upgrades to the app. These include the ability to drop virtual pins on a store map corresponding to items on their list, so shoppers can plan a more efficient route through the aisles, and the ability to book services in advance like an oil change.
MCM Musings: This app upgrade is an acknowledgement by Walmart of the overwhelming prevalence and power of mobile commerce. Where retailers once feared showrooming – checking a price in store and ordering a cheaper item on the spot – Walmart is leveraging its app features as a bridge between online and physical commerce, making the entire experience more convenient. Even though the company has invested heavily in ecommerce and seen strong online growth since acquiring Jet.com, its vast store network remains a major advantage.
You can read the entire blog post here.