What: The retailer plans to test a text-to-shop tool in selected areas.

Why it is important: Walmart is adding another channel for consumers to purchase goods

Walmart’s Global Tech and Store No. 8 teams have collaborated to test a text-to-shop tool in select areas.

Walmart believes that text shopping is just warming up, despite the fact that a year and a half ago, the retailer discontinued Jet Black, a shop-by-text service geared toward urban customers that were out of reach of Walmart’s stores.

Many retailers are expanding shopping capabilities through conversational channels such as voice technology, but experts believe that the tech still has a ways to go before mass adoption.

The Future is Conversational How Voice and Text are Transforming Shopping

Walmart tests text-to-shop tool