Image Courtesy of Walmart
November 13, 2025
Will Walmart’s AI Tools Spur In-Store Shopping?
Noting that in-store shoppers already using an app spend 25% more on trips, Walmart is hoping to increase that figure with the roll out of six AI-enabled shopping tools.
The tools now available via Walmart’s app include:
- In-Store Savings tool: Allows in-store shoppers to “find savings in a single tap,” including Black Friday deals, rollbacks, and clearance items. Walmart said in a press release, “Customers can even filter items by category (for example, TVs on and easily compare prices, all on one screen.”
- Enhanced search and navigation: Customers in stores “can now search for items just as they would if they were online shopping,” including viewing in-stock availability. The app then shows the item’s location in the store.
- Wish list integration: Customers, through the app, can create, save, and shop wish lists that, with a tap, are automatically sorted by aisle for a seamless in-store experience. Walmart said, “With a tap, their list is sorted by aisle, turning the trip into a quick, easy, and joyfully organized shopping experience.”
- AI-powered party planning: Walmart’s gen AI-powered digital assistant, Sparky, has a new enhancement that supports people hosting parties or events. Walmart said, “Just tell Sparky the occasion, and it instantly crafts a curated list of everything customers need — from decorations to champagne and confetti.”
- AI-generated Audio Summaries: New AI-generated summaries “synthesize product descriptions and reviews into short, digestible audio clips — helping customers confidently purchase gifts on the go.” The feature is available across more than 1,000 premium beauty products.
- Interactive 3D showrooms: With AI-powered augmented reality tech, in-store shoppers “can step into designed spaces instead of scrolling through endless pages of home decor.” AI reworks product photos into 3D images. A Shop the Background feature lets shoppers click on items in product images — like artwork or accent chairs — to add them directly to their carts. A Dynamic Showroom feature allows customers to “view different spaces — from cozy, guest-ready bedrooms to moody dining rooms — then swap out furnishings to match their preferences.”
“The most wonderful time of the year should be joyful, and with the power of AI and technology, we’re making that possible,” said Tracy Poulliot, SVP, Shopping Experiences, Walmart U.S.
“Whether customers are holiday shopping in our stores or from the comfort of home, we’re giving them the tools to check off their lists quicker and easier than ever before,” Poulliot added.
The Spar 2025 Shopper Insights Survey found 40% of U.S. adults use their mobile device every time, or most of the time, when shopping in-store. The top technology used to encourage in-store shopping: coupons downloadable to their phone or frequent shopper card/loyalty program, 51%; self-checkout, 50%; scan and go shopping technology (use phone to scan and checkout), 29%; payment via smartphone, 27%; Wi-Fi, 25%; store mapping/aisle guidance, 22%; online circular, 21%; and retailer app availability, 18%.
Discussion Questions
Which of Walmart’s new AI-driven shopping tools will most incentivize shoppers to use the retailer’s app in stores?
What do shoppers want to do with their mobile phones when shopping inside stores?
Poll
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Tom Ryan
Managing Editor, RetailWire
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The new AI-driven tools make store shopping easier as they give customers more control and visibility into things like pricing and promotions; functions like sorting lists by aisles is also useful. While I do not see any of these things as revolutionary, they are smart – especially when a large format shop like Walmart isn’t always conducive to discovery. I can see the potential to lift basket value and improve satisfaction. And with this initiative, Walmart is, one again, showing it is firmly on the front foot.
The ranking is simple, tied directly to the pain points of trying to navigate Walmart’s 180K square foot Supercenters:
1) “Where is the product I’m looking for?” -> Enhanced search and navigation
2) “Is there a cheaper option for what I want?” -> In-store savings tool
3) the other 3 all tied for 3rd place, as they’re more one-off use cases that don’t apply to the majority of shoppers
These are all great ideas. The goal will be to get Walmart customers to use them. Not only should that help sales and the overall shopping experience, it gives Walmart another way to capture customer data.
This will definitely be a value-add to shoppers. Not only will they be able to find products more easily, but it will also drive larger baskets by “completing the sale.” In other words, if AI directs a shopper’s choice for a particular item, it now becomes an easy leap to add-on other complementary items. I’m imaging that transaction value will increase and shopper satisfaction will be boosted. Last, and certainly not least, as @Shep Hyken suggested consumer behavior data will be enriched.
I wasn’t going to contribute here – my sponsor at AI-A wouldn’t like it! – but a thought occured to me: if, as most here think, this makes shopping easier (by reducing the need to wander the store) is there a possibity of it actually reducing aveage basket size? (After all doesn’t that random wandering occasionally turn into unexpected purchases?) Even If that were the case, I think WalMart would be doing the right thing – the goal after all, is to serve shoppers (more than sales volume) – but it would be rich, wouldn’t it?
Of the new AI-driven shopping tools introduced by Walmart, the Enhanced Search & Navigation feature stands out as the most compelling reason for shoppers to engage the app while in-store. Shoppers often arrive with a mission—“find the blue blazer,” “grab the best deal on a TV,” or “get everything on my wish list”—and this tool gives them exactly that: online-style search, stock availability, and precise in-store location. Closely following is the In-Store Savings tool, which instantly surfaces local-store deals, rollbacks, and clearance items—a strong incentive to open the app and explore in-store rather than just check prices at home.
Shoppers want their mobile devices to serve as utility hubs when they’re physically inside a store: map the store, locate the aisle, confirm stock, apply digital coupons, build (or access) wish-lists, scan products for reviews, compare prices and checkout faster. But this utility works best when the experience is omnichannel—fluid between mobile, web, and in-store. The tools Walmart is rolling out reinforce exactly that: they serve shoppers both on-the-go (e.g., wish-lists, audio summaries) and in-store (navigation, AR showrooms), making the mobile app the connective tissue between channels.
In short: if the mobile app becomes the go-to companion for navigating the store, finding value, and simplifying the trip—rather than a secondary afterthought—Walmart will have succeeded in driving higher app usage, basket size, and satisfaction.