Scenes from Walmart’s annual Associates Week and shareholder meeting

Last week, I flew down to the retailer’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas for its annual Associates Week and shareholder meeting. For Associates Week, Walmart brings in thousands of employees from around the world for festivities — it typically brings in celebrities for the occasion, with Benson Boone performing a concert this year.

However, Associates Week is also a chance for Walmart to sell shareholders, Wall Street analysts and the media on its strategy, and to give them a closer under-the-hood look at new initiatives in the works. 

“We believe that the closer you get to the company, the more you get to understand it — not just the strategy, but also the culture of the company,” Dan Bartlett, evp of corporate affairs for Walmart, told reporters and editors to kick off the week.

“Speed” was the key word Walmart wanted to emphasize last week, after launching guaranteed 30-minute-or-less deliveries to 33 markets in May. Executives talked about how AI is also helping them move faster, allowing them to rapidly launch new internal tools and streamlining each step of the supply chain.

Another focus of Walmart, in positioning itself as a destination for more premium products, was evident in little touches throughout the week. At a media dinner hosted on Thursday night, everything we ate — and the entire table setting — was made from ingredients and products found at Walmart or Sam’s Club. Reporters were handed the price list of all the products after the meal.

A few common themes arose as we worked our way through the week: 

Walmart is taking a multi-faceted approach to AI 

• Two of Walmart’s AI leaders — global chief technology officer and chief development officer Suresh Kumar and Daniel Danker, Walmart’s evp of AI acceleration, product and design — spoke about how AI is allowing Walmart to achieve levels of personalization it has long dreamed of. 
• However, it comes at a cost. In response to reporters’ questions, they talked about how the company is restricting use of AI in some cases, particularly to an internal tool called Code Puppy. “We are now at a stage where not only are we able to democratize AI, but we are [also] learning enough to be able to do things more efficiently,” Kumar said.
• Walmart is also hoping its Sparky AI assistant — directly on the retailer’s app and website, as well as via third-party agents like ChatGPT — will help customers find products more quickly. Tracy Poulliot, evp of e-commerce and marketing for Walmart U.S., and Walmart’s svp of AI shopping and operations, Sean Scott, spoke about how they want customers to tell Sparky their problems and get a solution — especially regarding high-consideration purchases like electronics. “Anything you can shop, I want it on Sparky yesterday,” Scott said.
• Scott also mentioned that Walmart is working to implement account services into Sparky, as the company has watched customers try to access such features via the search bar. “We’re starting to build new experiences really based on these new expectations,” he said.

It’s going global with its Walmart+ marketplace and other lines of business to reach more types of customers

• One of my most anticipated sessions of the trip was with Walmart’s growth organization, which includes advertising, memberships and the third-party marketplaces, as I’ve been tracking these businesses over my past two years at Modern Retail.
• On Thursday, Walmart+, the retailer’s paid membership program, launched in Canada — the first time it has been available outside of the U.S. U.S. marketplace executive Manish Joneja also now oversees global marketplaces and fulfillment services, evidence of how Walmart is increasingly taking a more global approach. “We serve customers, and we interact with them everywhere,” Dallaire said. “That to me has been really cool, and it’s unique to Walmart at this scale.”

It’s using technology to be more efficient in stores 

• The company took us to local stores in the region to give us a glimpse at some of the technology used at stores and some of the new items available to shoppers. We got to see Sam’s Club’s first store to utilize its new logo and branding, in Springdale, Arkansas. There, we saw a new offering of pre-cut fruit, and technology such as an inventory scanner that employees can drive around the store and an AI assistant that can help train employees to decorate cakes. 
• At Walmart, we saw another inventory scanner that roams autonomously as well as electronic shelf labels near each product that employees can light up to help find specific items more easily. Plus, we got to try out self-checkout machines that use cameras or sensors to identify fruits and vegetables.

It’s pushing more premium products in stores and merchandising them in different ways

• Back-to-school merchandising was a big area of focus. Execs highlighted inclusive learning tools meant for children with special needs, as well as school supplies based on the film “KPop Demon Hunters.” 
• In eyewear, the company highlighted new-to-Walmart premium brands like Kate Spade and Costa. 
• The company showed off other new exclusive or private brands, including Greenworks Pro power tools, Mainstays Kids children’s decor and Kacey Lee clothing in partnership with singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves. 
• On the Sam’s Club front, the company showed off products highlighted by influencers, showing off its exclusive Creator Network. The retailer just launched its MAP Influencer Program as part of its retail media network, Sam’s Club Member Access Platform, which allows brands access to this community of creators for social content. Sam’s Club also presented private-label Members Mark items such as chocolates and sports drinks.

As Walmart continues to try and court more and more shoppers through speed, convenience and assortment, I’ll be watching to see how competitors like Amazon and Target respond. Amazon has been making more of a play into the grocery market, Walmart’s longtime strength, while Target is also working to bring in more products inspired by social commerce trends.

“We do continue to see the higher-income customers coming to Walmart,” Furner said during that first session of the week. “They’re buying more, they’re coming more frequently, and I think that’s left us flexibility in what we offer.”