Walmart Wants Shoppers to Love Its Stores

Walmart wants its physical stores to be places people look forward to heading to—not just a destination on a to-do list when they need to restock. (And not, certainly, an example of retail's inventory-management woes in the past two years.)

That's the idea behind Walmart's in-progress store redesigns, first announced in 2021. The first phase of the redesigns was focused on store navigation and making it easier for shoppers to quickly find whatever they sought. Almost 1,000 stores have seen layout changes and renovations with this objective in mind, according to the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer.

On Jan. 27, Walmart announced the second phase of its store-refresh project, lifting the curtain on a "new, signature experience" at the company's incubator store (store 4108) in Springdale, Ark. Called "Time Well Spent," the redesign includes digital displays that let customers scan a QR code to learn more about products and collections featured as well as order an item for delivery. Room displays may showcase, for example, a fully stocked nursery or a bedroom set featuring items from the Gap Home at Walmart collection. Apparel displays will highlight both national and owned brands. 

"In today's omnichannel world, customers still want to experience—touch, feel and try—items," Walmart VP of Marketing Alvis Washington wrote in a blog post on Walmart's website. "So we're now aiming to make customers feel wowed and proud when they shop with us."

Washington offered a couple of examples of what this easy-solutions-plus-enjoyable-experience might look like: "Exciting displays at the corners of certain departments pull customers in and help them touch, feel and become a part of the space, allowing them to discover all that we have to offer," he wrote. "In our Pets area, a customer may scan [a] QR code to find additional dog bed options, learn about Walmart’s pet insurance service options or have a 20-pound bag of kibble delivered to their door."

See also:
How (and Why) Center Store Could Look Different in 2022  
How Walmart Is Using AI to Give Customers What They Really Want