Attention All Wal-Mart Shopppers
October 10, 2007 by Mark Evans
Filed under Business
Wal-Mart may be the world’s leading discount retailer but behind the scenes it employs a highly-sophisticated technology-driven infrastructure. In many ways, Wal-Mart is an innovator within the retail landscape.
Consumers will see Wal-Mart’s high-tech approach first-hand when the Canadian division installs video displays throughout its stores. These displays, which will be installed by ShopCast, will be designed to “enable [Wal-Mart] to strategically reach out to guests in-store to inform, entertain and help save them money.”
In other words, they could be a great in-house advertising/marketing tool that will make paper-based flyers look antiquated.
Source: Engadget.
Walmart has always been at the forefront of retail technology – they were using RFID technology (and forcing their suppliers to use them) before people had any idea what the acronym meant. The ‘retail-tainment’ concept is, well, pretty self-explanatory – add to the shopping experience and present people with info on savings when and where they need it. That would be pretty impressive if they can actually overhaul and modernize the coupon system, which is a whole industry onto itself.
In terms of trying to use web technologies and attempts to come across as a hip brand to attract consumers, they have done a pretty miserable job (I recall their fake community site got some nice PR).
It’s too bad that Walmart isn’t interested in yet capturing the percentage of the population that doesn’t shop there because of the dismal shopping experience. This new initiative only (potentially) works for people who actually go INTO a Walmart. With their sophisticated back end technology, they would easily be able to give their online competitors (i.e Target) a reasonable on-line run for the money in capturing the digital dollars that are spent by on-line shoppers. I live 12 minutes from a Walmat, yet will shop online with Target since they launched Canadian shipping.