Walmart putting AR shopping experiences right in customers' pockets
Augmented reality tech at home and in stores
We believe the closest store to our customers is in their pocket, and we are focused on making that always-on experience as easy, engaging and personalized as possible. We now announce two brand-new augmented reality (AR) features on the Walmart app designed to making shopping easier.
AR at home: View item in your space
The first feature we are excited to share is rolling out to all customers by early July on our iOS app and allows customers to view furniture and home décor items in their spaces with a few simple swipes on their phones.
This experience will initially be available for 300 furniture and home décor items, with plans to expand to popular back-to-college items over the coming months. To access the feature, all a customer needs to do is click the ‘View in your space’ banner on AR enabled items when shopping in the Walmart app, and this will walk them through how to connect to their camera and see the item in their own space. They will also be able to toggle the item dimensions to check if the item will fit in their space and snap a picture for later, helping them feel confident purchasing with us. ‘View in your space’ will be available on iOS, with plans to roll out on Android and mobile web.
Notably, the feature includes haptic feedback, which allows customers to feel vibrations as they maneuver 3D models around their homes and prevents them from dragging items past the boundaries of their room. This adds a compelling level of realism to the experience.
Unlike other AR tools, we incorporated several key accessibility features that help ensure customers with disabilities are able to use these new features. For example, customers with limited mobility can place an item within a room and maneuver it with gesture controls. For customers who are blind or have low vision, the experience provides voice-based instructions and descriptions.
AR in stores: Seeing product information
AR is also enabling new experiences in our stores, helping our associates get products to shelves quickly.
Now Walmart Global Tech is developing a new AR in-store feature that changes how you’ll view key product information. The concept our technologists are building with Walmart designers will allow customers and associates to simply point their mobile device camera at our store shelves via the Walmart app to filter our assortment based on your personal preferences. Imagine you’re a customer who is gluten-free. Using the AR in-store tool, you’ll be able to use your phone to read food ingredients quickly and easily identify gluten-free products.
Coupons are another future use case. For example, customers will also be able to scan store shelves to see which items are on rollback, clearance or part of a rewards program. Perhaps you could scan to receive instant coupons.
