Can’t Find It? Walmart Can Light the Way

Can't Find It? Walmart Can Light the Way

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Sometimes the hardest part of a shopping trip is simply finding what you came for.

Maybe it's the exact jar of peanut butter your family likes. The right size bottle of ketchup. Or that one spice you know is somewhere on the shelf, if only you could spot it.

Now, Walmart is using a simple light to make those moments a little easier.

Helping customers find what they came for

We've all had the experience of standing in front of a section filled with dozens of similar products trying to spot one specific item. Spices might be the ultimate example.

That's where Shop to Light comes in.

Customers can use the Walmart app to ask for help finding an item. The request tells the store system which product location to light up, and a small LED on the shelf label flashes to help the customer spot it.

Instead of scanning shelf after shelf looking for one small jar, the light can help point the way.

Shop to Light uses the LED already built into Walmart's digital shelf labels.

And that same light is helping our associates in other ways, too.

Putting products in the right place

Before a customer can find an item, we have to get it onto the correct shelf.

That's where Stock to Light comes in.

Using a mobile device, associates can activate the LED on a shelf label to quickly identify where an item belongs.

Think about an associate stocking shelves with products that can look almost identical. Different flavors. Different sizes. Different varieties.

Instead of spending extra time double-checking locations, the light helps point the way.

That makes stocking simpler for associates and helps make sure products are where customers expect to find them.

Finding the right item for an online order

The same idea can help when an associate is filling an online pickup or delivery order.

A customer didn't order just any bottle of ketchup. They chose a specific brand and size. They didn't order just any peanut butter. They chose creamy or crunchy, a particular brand and a particular size.

With Pick to Light, LED guidance helps associates quickly find the product needed for an online order.

For customers, that simple flash can help us get them exactly what they ordered.

A simple light, more ways to help

Stock to Light helps us put products where they belong. Pick to Light helps us find the right products for online orders. And now Shop to Light helps customers find what they're looking for themselves.

None of it is particularly high-tech. That's the point.

Technology works best when it takes something that used to require a little more time or effort and makes it simpler.

Because at the end of the day, customers are coming to Walmart because they want or need something. Our job is to make it easier to find - and to keep earning their trust along the way.

Q&A: What to know

Q. What are Digital Shelf Labels?

A. Digital Shelf Labels (DSLs) are electronic versions of traditional paper shelf tags. They help associates update approved prices more efficiently and accurately while helping ensure shelf prices match checkout prices.

The same labels also include the LED lights used for Stock to Light, Pick to Light and Shop to Light.

Q. Do Digital Shelf Labels change prices automatically?

A. No. Prices are set centrally by Walmart following our Every Day Low Price approach, with an associate reviewing approved changes.

Digital Shelf Labels simply display prices that have already been approved through Walmart's centralized pricing process. They do not independently determine or change prices. Approved price changes are typically made outside of shopping hours, helping keep prices stable and consistent throughout the day.

Q. Does using Shop to Light change the price of an item?

A. No. The light is built into the same shelf label that displays the price, but the functions are separate. It simply tells the store system which product location to light up so the customer can find the item more easily.

Learn more about Walmart's approach to affordability and pricing.

Q. Do Digital Shelf Labels collect information about customers?

A. No. Digital Shelf Labels operate on a closed system and do not collect customer information. They do not contain cameras or microphones and cannot identify customers or track shopping behavior.

Q. Does Walmart use surveillance pricing?

A. No. Walmart does not use personal customer information to determine what price an individual customer sees or pays online or in stores. Walmart's technology helps improve efficiency and lower costs, not personalize prices.