Walmart rolling out ‘upscale’ stores with new designs, upgrades

Walmart is revamping its stores as part of a new strategy to enhance the shopping experience for customers and to compete with rivals, like Target Inc.

While their low-priced groceries and home goods options have always attracted customers, Walmart is stepping up its game by revamping its displays with updated lighting, attractive interactive products that customers can experience before they buy, and more efficient ways for consumers to find goods in stores and pay for them. 

The nation’s largest retailer has already updated five stores in Teterboro and North Bergen, New Jersey; Yaphank, New York; Quakertown, Pennsylvania; and Hodgkins, Illinois. The “store of the future” redesigns include improved lighting, more space, and better store displays. 

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Sections in the new stores are equipped with QR codes – which Walmart calls touchpoints – allowing customers to check for similar items to the ones shown in the section.

“For example, in our Pets area, a customer may scan the QR code to find additional dog bed options, learn about Walmart’s pet insurance service options, or have a 20-pound bag of kibble delivered to their door,” Walmart said.

The remodeled stores also have the popular jewelry store Claire’s, where trained staff can provide customers with ear piercings.

Walmart announced the first phase of its store redesigns in a company blog last year sharing that nearly 1,000 stores have been renovated with the new design to help “customers save time in finding what they need.”

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“Our visual merchandising experts have highlighted exciting brands and created engaging experiences that bring to life the human element. But making the store more engaging isn’t enough. We have to do all of this in a way that is unique to Walmart,” the company wrote in a press release.

Walmart said it will “continue to test, learn, and make changes” based on customer feedback adding that they want them to “feel wowed and inspired – and that their time was well spent.”

By the end of 2022, Walmart had updated 1,000 of its 4,720 U.S. stores and announced that it will update between 800 and 1,000 each year.