Walmart is looking to innovate in-store

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Walmart has filed a number of patents for technologies that would add new in-store tools for both customers and the retailer, according to Gizmodo.

The new patents cover a variety of technologies:

A sensing device for shopping carts. The technology would collect data based on a user's location and communicate with their mobile device. It appears that it would help the user, presumably a consumer with a shopping cart, navigate the store and locate products, which is important in stores as big as Walmart’s.
Drones that offer in-store assistance. Users would be able to request assistance from a drone via mobile devices, which would then fly over to consumers and help them verify a price or guide them to a specific product. Providing such help via drone would allow Walmart to restructure its workforce, as store associates would not need to help with these tasks.
Wearables that track users’ in-store actions. These wearables would connect with a store’s systems and devices, letting the store track tasks being performed by users. It's unclear if this technology has employees or consumers in mind, but it could be valuable in either case, as Walmart could better track and manage its employees, or collect more data from in-store customers.
Sensing technologies that measure inventory levels. Walmart filed multiple patents that will aid in this process, as they would all enable Walmart to keep track of inventory levels without having their employees manually check them.

These technologies could build a better in-store shopping experience for Walmart, helping it take advantage of its brick-and-mortar network. Offering new and possibly easy ways for consumers to find items and pricing information may make in-store shopping a more attractive experience for Walmart customers. And the technologies’ potential to allow Walmart to adjust and improve the performance of its in-store associates, and keep items stocked, could make the experience even better. Keeping its in-store experience enjoyable and attractive is a key way for Walmart’s brick-and-mortar business to succeed, even as e-commerce grows and Walmart focuses on online sales itself.

The introduction of such technologies may enable Walmart to offer a comparable shopping experience to that of Amazon Go’s cashierless store. The patents Walmart has filed would create a store that better communicates with itself and keeps better track of its own inventory. This type of connection could make it easier to track what products consumers pick out, which would allow it to let consumers bypass physical checkout. This would be no easy feat because Walmart stores are significantly larger than the Amazon Go store, but these patents could lead to technologies that put Walmart on the right path.

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