What: Walmart is testing new features in their prototype store to improve the customer experience.

Why it is important:  Given their firepower (the first phase of tests and experiences is already being rolled over in 1,000 stores), any innovation made by Walmart has all chances to become a staple in their stores and therefore to become a bottom line expectation.

Walmart introduces a new in-store experience with an interactive approach allowing customers to touch, feel and try new items, through its innovation incubator called “Time well spent”. This project is the second phase of Walmart’s store redesign project, after a first phase which focused on navigation and wayfinding, now currently rolled over in 1,000 stores.

The Time Well Spent store (in Arkansas) includes the following features:

• Activated corners that can help customers feel products, such as pillows or blankets that can be touched and squeezed and then directly added to cart,
• Elevated brand stores including the possibility to test in real conditions the products for categories where it was not the case before (strollers, car seats, men’s cosmetics..),
• Digital touchpoints also helping to sell additional products and services such as insurance or delivery options.

In short, Walmart is testing new ways to elevate their stores and design them as destinations rather than competing solely on the price point.

Walmart brings the interactive store