Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) has unveiled a new store design that it plans to roll out in more than 1,000 stores by the next fiscal year. The new store design is part of the retailers plan to give shopping outlets a new look and feel while also enhancing the shopping experience. The new store design also seeks to enhance the digital shopping experience.
Walmart New Sore Design
The proposed store design is inspired by the airports outlook designed to guide customers more easily and quickly around the store. For instance, it should come in handy when social distancing is the new norm in a bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
Sections within the stores will be marked with big and bold letters signaling what people should expect in different sections. In addition to the new design, customers are encouraged to download the Walmart app for easy navigation around the stores. The aisles will be marked with letter and number combinations that people can use in the app.
The redesign will see Walmart store go high tech featuring self-check-out kiosks to limit customers and clerks interactions. Walmart Pay will be very much available to limit paying with cash, in a bid to fuel contactless payment.
Walmart Digital Shopping Focus
While the new design comes when COVID-19 appears to have taken a toll on brick and mortar stores, Walmart had already tested the new design before COVID-19. Likewise, the nation's largest retailer intends to have the new design in nearly 200 Supercenters before the end of the year.
Walmart is one of the retailers that have seen its operations come under pressure amid a change in consumers shopping patterns. Amid the social distancing policies and lockdown restrictions, people have opted to do shopping in e-commerce platforms and have items delivered at their doorsteps. Therefore traffic to brick and mortar stores has dropped significantly.
The retailer has had to invest in its online shopping portal to take orders from customers who cannot make their way into its brick and mortar stores.
