Walmart opened a new 50,000-square-foot Intelligent Retail Lab in Long Island, N.Y. on April 25.
The company is experimenting with digitizing its physical stores to manage them more efficiently, keep costs under control and improve the shopping experience for customers, according to The Associated Press
Thousands of cameras suspended from the ceiling, as well as sensors on shelves, will monitor the store in real time for employees to replenish products and quickly address other problems. The technology will also be used to spot spills, track when shelves need to be restocked and know when shopping carts are running low.
Walmart told AP it hopes to start using some of the new technology at other stores in the next six months.
“We really like to think of this store as an artificial intelligence factory, a place where we are building these products, experiences, where we are testing and learning,” said Mike Hanrahan, CEO of Walmart’s Intelligent Retail Lab and co-founder of Jet.com, purchased by Walmart three years ago, according to The AP.
Hanrahan told AP the cameras are programmed to focus on the products and shelves, rather than the customers. The cameras don’t recognize faces or track customers’ movement.
He also said Walmart has made sure to protect shoppers’ privacy and said there are no cameras at the pharmacy, in front of the restrooms or in employee break rooms.
Last year, Walmart’s Sam’s Club opened a 32,000-square-foot lab store. The lab is testing new features for its Scan & Go App, which, similar to Amazon Go stores, lets customers scan items as they shop and then pay via their phones.
