Walmart Debuts Interactive Store Dubbed ‘Time Well Spent’

Walmart on Thursday (Jan. 27) announced its Springdale, Ark., store will add a number of interactive elements that will make Walmart “a destination where people want to spend their time” through an initiative the company calls Time Well Spent.

“In today’s omnichannel world, customers still want to experience – touch, feel and try – items,” wrote Alvis Washington, VP, Marketing – Store Design, Innovation and Experience, in a company blog post announcing the Time Well Spent undertaking.

“So, we’re now aiming to make customers feel wowed and proud when they shop with us,” he wrote. “We’re using powerful design elements to show off amazing products that wow our customers, and when they see the value, they are proud of their choice and purchase.”

The addition of interactive elements to Walmart’s incubator location — and to others in the future — follows last year’s store redesign in 1,000 locations that focused on better navigation and wayfinding.

“In this next phase of our redesign, we’re amplifying the physical, human and digital design elements in our stores to inspire customers and elevate the experience,” wrote Washington in the Walmart blog post. The interactive store will feature improved lighting, space enhancements, digital screens, QR codes and more, he wrote.

Walmart will use what it calls “activated corners,” elevated brand shops, space for brands to better tell their stories and digital touchpoints to transform Walmart into a place where people want to spend more time, wrote Washington.

Related: Walmart’s FinTech Hazel Acquires Even and One to Build Finance Super App

Earlier this week, Walmart’s FinTech venture Hazel, a joint venture with investment firm Ribbit Capital that will rebrand as ONE, moved closer to developing a financial services super app with the acquisitions of payroll management platform Even Responsible Finance and neobank One Finance.

The combined entity will have more than 200 employees and north of $250 million in cash on the balance sheet, according to the joint announcement Wednesday (Jan. 26).

The ONE app will become part of Walmart’s physical and digital channels, extending financial services to the retail giant’s 1.6 million U.S. associates and 100 million-plus weekly shoppers.