AI Prospecting for Walmart

Walmart is closing 11 underperforming stores in December 2024, primarily in California, due to high operational costs, lease issues, and the shift to online shopping. Despite closures, Walmart is expanding with 12 new Neighborhood Markets, remodeling 650 stores, and saw a 43% increase in Walmart Marketplace sales during the recent holiday season. The company has also completed a $2.3 billion acquisition of VIZIO to enhance its omnichannel experiences and advertising capabilities[1][2][3].

Walmart is expanding its use of artificial intelligence, introducing retail-specific Large Language Models (LLMs) like Wallaby to enhance customer experiences, and leveraging Augmented Reality (AR) through the Retina platform to create immersive shopping experiences. The company is also scaling its adaptive retail strategy, including personalized online shopping and new virtual social environment integrations[2]. Walmart has announced early holiday shopping deals, inflation-free holiday meals, and expanded delivery services, including Early Morning delivery starting at 6 a.m. and Express Delivery in as little as 30 minutes, utilizing new AI technology to reach more households[3]. Additionally, Walmart Data Ventures is rebranding its insights ecosystem to Scintilla, signaling growth and expansion into new markets, and has seen a significant increase in its client base and supplier engagement[4].

Walmart is kicking off the holiday season with early shopping deals, inflation-free holiday meals, and expanded delivery services, including Early Morning delivery starting at 6 a.m. and Express Delivery in as little as 30 minutes, utilizing new AI technology to reach an additional 12 million households[3].