Walmart Sam's Club to test its version of an Amazon Go store
The warehouse store, which will open in Dallas, will let you use your phone to find items and purchase them.
A Sam's Club Now will open in Dallas.
Walmart is testing a warehouse in Dallas where you can make all your purchases on your phone.
Sam's Club Now will basically be Walmart's warehouse version of an Amazon Go store. It will be an app-driven version of a membership-based Sam's Club where you can use your phone to set up shopping lists, navigate the store and buy your items.
You scan items as you pick them up and check out by having a worker scan the code on your phone.
"There won't be another club like it," Jamie Iannone, chief executive officer of SamsClub.com, said in a blog post Monday. "It will be a mobile-first shopping experience powered by the new Sam's Club Now app."
The company hopes to expand its app to show you an optimal route around the store.
Smart shopping lists use machine learning and past purchase data to auto-fill members' shopping lists, updating as you scan items.
A voice-activated navigation feature will let you ask the app where items are, so you don't have to wander around looking for that giant tub of mayonnaise. The company plans to expand this feature to map out your optimal route through the store.
Your shopping list automatically updates as you scan items.
The augmented reality feature can show you additional information about the item -- like where it's sourced -- when you highlight it.
"We also have plans to use augmented reality to transform members' digital carts into pirate ships," Iannone said. "Or maybe you'd prefer a rocket? More on that soon!"
The Dallas location will be 32,000 square feet -- a quarter the size of an average Sam's Club -- and act as a test site for new tech-based features. It reflects Walmart's increased efforts to keep up with Amazon. Walmart.com, for example, also plans to add millions of more items to its two-day shipping program for the holiday-shopping season.
Sam's Club didn't have an opening date for the store when contacted via email, but suggested keeping an eye on its web page for an announcement.
First published on Oct. 29 at 6:26 a.m. PT.
Updated on Oct. 30 at 7:29 a.m. PT: Adds that opening date is still TBA.