Technology has taken over the world, making people highly dependent on it as they have applied it to all aspects of their everyday lives for many years.
For most people, it’s unfathomable not to have their phones with them at all times. Between consuming some form of entertainment throughout the day — scrolling through one’s social media feeds, checking messages, listening to the radio, watching TV — the phone is a constant companion.
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It’s about time to accept that technology is now a part of humanity. Successful retailers have accepted this concept and begun implementing it in their business strategies to propel growth.
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However, those who have yet to catch up with this trend or have not invested in innovative technology within their business may risk falling behind their competitors and heading towards a downward spiral.
People shopping at a Walmart store.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
Walmart’s ‘Adaptive Retail’ strategy to grow its business
In 2024, Walmart (WMT) released its first Annual State of Adaptive Retail report, where the retailer explained how it planned to use ‘adaptive retail’ as a strategic move to increase sales and grow its business.
The retail giant surveyed over 2,200 consumers nationwide to collect their current and future shopping expectations to better understand people’s needs and wants in the ever-evolving retail sector.
According to Walmart, “Adaptive Retail is an evolved form of retail that brings shopping to the customer in exactly the way they want and need. It goes beyond blending the best of online and offline to adapting experiences based on an understanding of the deeper context behind the purchase, all to meet unique consumer habits and preferences.”
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As a result of this survey, Walmart found that consumers believe retailers’ development and use of seamless technology within their business will provide more personalized shopping, improving their overall shopping experiences in the future.
“We’re in a new era of retail defined by profoundly personal shopping experiences. Each shopper defines how, where and when they obtain goods, and context is key. The Why behind the purchase. Retailers must predict shoppers’ needs, reduce decision-making and enable highly personal experiences. Future retail success depends on how well we anticipate and meet these evolving expectations,” said Walmart Global Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer Suresh Kumar
These findings lit a fire in Walmart to begin developing innovative technology that could seamlessly blend into consumers’ shopping experiences and adapt to their daily lives.
Walmart announces the launch of a first-of-its-kind product
Walmart announced it has partnered with the gaming platform Spatial to create Walmart Unlimited, an interactive media series comprised of three episodes that allows players to purchase real products from the retailer through the game.
Walmart Unlimited combines e-commerce with gaming, featuring the retailer’s suppliers through animated characters. This media series marks the first-ever product of its kind for both companies and the first use of Walmart’s Unity Software Development Kit (SDK).
The SDK integrates Walmart’s commerce APIs directly into games and apps to enable the sale and purchase of physical items, creating a cross-channel commerce experience.
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The first episode of Walmart Unlimited is currently available on Spatial’s platform, and the final two will be released in April and May.
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