Walmart is releasing new apps for the iPad and iPhone to make shopping more interactive. The world’s largest retailer says the apps will enable a “seamless” shopping experience “both in-store and online”.
The updated iPhone app includes barcode scanners, coupons, Apple's Siri voice command, and a budgeting tool. This records shoppers’ favorite items and calculates the total shopping spend as new items are added to shopping lists. Users can also share information and product reviews via email.
Walmart is also testing a beta version of a "store item finder" to tell people the exact location of products in each store. GigaOM reports that the new tool will work with a "smart shopping list," organizing products by their store location and working out the most efficient route for shopping.
The iPad app, Walmart’s first, lets users browse local and online inventories from home. It also gives access to product information and availability.
Walmart's svp of mobile and digital, Gibu Thomas, says the new technology will provide a “personal relationship” between Walmart and its customers. "We can greet each of our customers by name, guide them through our stores, and give them product recommendations and real-time savings—all from their mobile devices," Thomas said in a statement.
The iPad app appeared in Apple’s app store last week, Adage reports. The revamped iPhone app is awaiting Apple certification. Walmart has also released an Android app, with fewer features than its Apple counterparts.
“We think of your mobile phone as your loyalty card,” Thomas told AllThingsD. “We don’t have cards but we think of it in the sense that you can use your phone to surface real-time discounts.”
