Walmart wasn’t about to let Amazon have all the fun when it comes to futuristic, tech-heavy retail prototypes. The retail giant recently unveiled a transformed Walmart Neighborhood Market in Levittown, N.Y., that is now equipped with artificial intelligence-enabled cameras, interactive displays, and a data center.
Dubbed the Intelligent Retail Lab (IRL), the 50,000-sf store will use an array of sensors, cameras, and processors to gather information about things like product inventory and availability. This real-time information will help employees know to restock products when they are needed most.
“Customers can be confident about products being there, about the freshness of produce and meant,” said Mike Hanrahan, IRL CEO, in a release. “Those are the types of things that AI can really help with.
See Also: Porsche’s next-gen showroom prototype opens in Palm Springs, Ca.
This means the store can automatically detect a product on the shelf, recognize a specific product (such as differentiating between one pound of ground beef and two pounds), and compare the quantities on the shelf to the upcoming sales demand. If the product is running low, they can restock it before customers arrive without having to comb through the entire store manually.
Upon entering IRL, customers can expect to see a typical Walmart store, with some futuristic highlights. The eye-catching, glass-encased data center with its soothing blue glow, for example, isn’t something you will find at every Walmart — yet. There will also be information stations for customers that will explain how AI is being used in the store and the benefits it has. Interactive educational displays and a Welcome Center will also be available for customers to dive deeper into the stores technology and get any questions they may have answered.
The technology will also help employees spend more time helping customers by performing mundane tasks such as evaluating if shopping carts need to be corralled or not. “We think it’s something our associates will be excited about. The technology has been built to improve associates’ jobs, to make their jobs more interesting, to help them alleviate some of the mundane tasks,” Hanrahan said. “AI can enhance their skill set in a very rapidly changing world.”
In its early days of operation, IRL will mainly be gathering data in order to determine how to best use the technology to improve the experience for customers and employees.
Related Stories
Retail Centers | May 20, 2015
Quick service restaurants evolving brand strategy to compete with fast casual: JLL report
In the race for market share, quick service restaurant staples Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A implement creative development strategies.
Retail Centers | May 18, 2015
ULI forecast sees clear skies for real estate over next three years
With asset availability declining in several sectors, rents and transactions should rise.
Sponsored | Coatings | May 14, 2015
Prismatic coatings accent the new Altara Center
This multi-use campus will contain a university, sports facilities, medical center, and world-class shopping
Retail Centers | May 13, 2015
To succeed, malls must appeal to shopper lifestyles
Malls and shopping centers are more effective as destinations when their tenant mix appeals to customers’ lifestyles beyond shopping and includes fitness centers, gourmet cooking shops, and sustainable-product options.
Mixed-Use | May 5, 2015
Miami ‘innovation district’ will have 6.5 million sf of dense, walkable space
Designing a neighborhood from the ground-up, developers aim to create a dense, walkable district that fulfills what is lacking from Miami’s current auto-dependent layout.
Sponsored | Daylighting | Apr 8, 2015
Bigger, brighter daylighting in Byerly's supermarket
More natural light was needed, but the project team wanted it to be diffused across large areas of the store.
Mixed-Use | Apr 7, 2015
$100 billion 'city from scratch' taking shape in Saudi Arabia
The new King Abdullah Economic City was conceived to diversify the kingdom's oil-dependent economy by focusing more in its shipping industry.
Mixed-Use | Mar 13, 2015
Dubai announces mega waterfront development Aladdin City
Planned on 4,000 acres in the Dubai Creek area, the towers will be covered in gold lattice and connected via air-conditioned bridges.
High-rise Construction | Mar 12, 2015
Foster and Partners designs 'The One' in Toronto
Developer Sam Mizrahi worked with Foster and Partners and Core Architects to design Toronto's tallest skyscraper aside from the CN Tower, The One, which will house a luxury shopping mall and condos.
Retail Centers | Mar 10, 2015
Retrofit projects give dying malls new purpose
Approximately one-third of the country’s 1,200 enclosed malls are dead or dying. The good news is that a sizable portion of that building stock is being repurposed.
