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The Sam's Club, Walmart's warehouse club, is preparing to open the doors of a new Dallas area store that will be used as a test bed for the latest retail technology. Specifically, the retailer will test new concepts such as mobile checkout, an Amazon Go camera system for inventory management, electronic shelf tags, orientation technology for in-store navigation, reality increased and infused purchases by artificial intelligence.
The retailer announced for the first time its intention to launch a concept store in Dallas in June, which was then considered a real-world testing laboratory for technology-driven shopping experiences.
Today, the company unveils the project and specifies what it has planned for the new location, called "Sam's Club Now".
Like other Sam's Club stores, consumers will need a subscription to shop at Sam's Club Now. But their way of shopping will be remarkably different.
Instead of cashiers, the store employs "host members", who will act more like janitors, the company said.
And instead of scanning items on a cash register stand at the point of sale, customers will be using a specialized Sam's Club Now mobile app.
The application is based on the existing "Scan & Go" technology from Sam's Club, which is used today in its outlets to speed up payment. With the current Scan & Go mobile app, customers can choose to scan items as and when they place them in their shopping cart, then pay directly to their phone. At Sam's Club Now, however, the use of mobile scanning and payroll is mandatory and not optional.
The Sam & # 39; s Club Now app will also be enriched with other features that the company wants to experiment with, including an integrated navigation and navigation system, augmented reality features, an A.I. shopping list, and more.
At launch, the application will offer an integrated map to find the right corridor for a given product, but over time, this mapping system will be upgraded to use beacon technology and will be linked to the list. Customer's purchases to map its best route. the shop.
The shopping list will also be powered by A.I. By combining machine learning and customer purchase history, the list will be pre-filled with frequent purchases from customers. These items can be removed from the list, if necessary.
That way, customers will never forget what they usually need, says the retailer.
Meanwhile, the app will allow Sam's Club to test augmented reality in order to showcase "stories" about the products sold and their features, as well as discover how items are purchased. This seems more complicated, however, as customers are unlikely to be interested in this type of infotainment when they try to shop.
But at least the test store gives the retailer a chance to confirm this assumption with real data.
The app will also allow members to place pickup orders ready in an hour or place same day delivery orders.
The lack of cashiers will not be the only difference between this Sam's Club Now and other places. The store will additionally represent only a quarter of the size of an average club, with an area of 32,000 square feet. This means that in some cases the packaging will be smaller than in other warehouse clubs.
Due to its small size, it will also have a quarter of the usual staff of 44 employees. But the goal is not to eliminate staff and replace it with technology, says the retailer.
"Eliminating friction does not mean replacing the exceptional service of members with a digital experience," said John Furner, President and CEO of Sam's Club. "We know our members are waiting for both."
The company announced that it would include a range of products such as meats, fresh foods, frozen foods, beer and wine and meal solutions.
More importantly, it will also include a new technology for inventory management and tracking. Later, a system of more than 700 cameras will be used to help the retailer manage the inventory and optimize the layout of the store.
On the shelves, it also tests electronic tags that will instantly update prices, eliminating the need to print paper signs.
These are not third-party systems, says the retailer.
"The vast majority of technologies this were building right here are technologies this We have developed in House. Tright here can be rooms of modules of things this were using of third evenings. But the majority are systems this are building sure the Technology this We have developed right here," said Jamie Iannone, CEO of SamsClub.com and executive vice president of Membership & Technology. "That allows we at repeat and move pretty quickly with that, "he noted.
By "quickly", the retailer means that things can change in a few weeks. The store plans to quickly browse new and different experiences in the fields of computer vision, A.I., A.R., machine learning and robotics.
The winners will then be deployed to other Sam's Club locations in the United States.
The retailer said Dallas was chosen as a test market because Walmart's Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters made it easy to get to and because of Dallas' technical talent and recruiting potential. The company now has more than 100 engineers in the region and plans to engage more in the areas of machine learning, AI and computer vision.
It should also be noted that Sam's Club Now has been created, developed and ready to open in only five months.
The store will be officially open by invitation to local members for testing as early as next week. The grand opening to the public is tentatively scheduled for a few weeks.
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