HP Innovation Journal Special Edition: Retail Transformation | Page 22

MOBILITY MOVES SHOPPERS
Today’s shoppers want speed
and convenience and retailers
are responding with line-busting
mobile solutions.
Walmart-owned Sam’s Club, for example, has opened a
test-lab store in Dallas, Texas, dubbed Sam’s Club Now.
The mobile-first shopping experience, powered by the new
Sam’s Club Now app, not only provides mobile checkout
via Scan & Go, but also features intuitive technology that
combines machine learning and purchase data to auto-
fill users’ shopping lists. The retailer is also working on
augmented reality (AR) technology to bring products to
life in the store.
In addition to its Sam’s Club initiatives, Walmart is posi-
tioning associates equipped with its Check Out With Me
mobile POS technology in busy store areas, to help cus-
tomers pay and go quickly by just swiping their credit card
and taking a paper or electronic receipt on the spot.
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HP Innovation Journal: Retail Transformation
Likewise, Target recently rolled out mobile checkout to all
stores nationwide, providing its associates with specially
equipped handheld devices. Even convenience stores
like 7-Eleven are getting into the action, piloting mobile
self-checkout, dubbed Scan & Pay, in 14 stores. The tech
lets customers skip the checkout line and pay for their
purchases using the 7-Eleven app, which also houses the
retailer’s loyalty program.
THE BOTTOM LINE FOR MOBILE ADOPTION
Mobile devices offer the ability to refresh and reinvent the
in-store experience by adding new services, as well as pro-
viding ongoing associate training and learning, which leads
to constantly evolving and improving in-store service.
For starters, just consider how mobile solutions can per-
sonalize encounters with shoppers. On their own, retailers
admittedly aren’t great at executing personalized mar-
keting techniques inside stores, as they don’t possess the
detailed personal information necessary to operate on an
individual level, and don’t have the means to easily iden-
tify shoppers in real time to send them relevant messages.
But adding a mobile app with first-screen, store-centric