Apps Emerge as Key Walmart Strategy

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Walmart plans to launch Print Plus, a mobile app that brings its print ads to life, an executive of the chain said during an educational session on day two of the Shopper Marketing Summit.

The app, to be launched this year, allows shoppers to view content — such as recipes and product information — when they scan a Walmart ad with their smart phones.

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“We’re working on bringing liquid content off of our print pieces,” Ken Mantel, Walmart’s senior director of marketing, said.

The move comes at a time when mobile apps are increasingly appealing to Walmart.

“Every time a new smart phone into marketplace, it changes the way we market,” he said.

Among other mobile app efforts, Walmart’s traditional mobile app lets users view local ads, scan store rollbacks, check prices and more.

The app has had 7 billion downloads.

Additionally, the company is testing Scan & Go, an iPhone app that lets shoppers use their phones to scan the bar codes on items in-store, and complete the purchase at a self checkout.

The retailer is also exploring mobile payment.

Such efforts strengthen the retailer’s “pull marketing” strategy, said Mantel.

“We want to create demand for content that will allow us to pull people in, rather than just pushing out a message,” said Mantel.

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