WALMART is the world’s largest retailer, with billions of dollars in annual revenue and more than 10,000 stores in 24 countries.
Considering its prestigious status in the retail industry, shoppers are perplexed by how Walmart doesn’t offer a basic form of payment.
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Online shoppers endlessly criticize Walmart for not having a popular payment method at checkout.
Although Apple Pay has been around since 2014, the retailer has failed to integrate the technology into its card readers.
“I still want to know why I can’t use #ApplePay at #Walmart. Biggest retailer in the world”, criticized user X.
“I SAY WE ALL BOYCOTT WALMART UNTIL THEY START ACCEPTING APPLE PAY,” criticized a second customer.
CEO SAID
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon explained why the retail giant chooses to do without Apple Pay on the Stratechery podcast.
At the interviewhe shared that conversations on the matter were ongoing and that Walmart could integrate the payment service at some point.
“I think in our case, we would like customers to open our app in the store all the time,” he said, explaining how the lack of Apple Pay is intended to encourage shoppers to use Walmart Pay.
The retailer’s mobile wallet allows customers to use the credit, debit or gift card saved in their Walmart account for touchless checkout.
“We have this joint venture with Ribbit Capital called One, here in the US, and we have a few other things including PhonePe happening in India as it relates to financial services, and we are still exploring that space and learning, so it’s a fluid process . situation”, added the CEO.
The Walmart app does more than just give customers a way to pay.
Podcast host Ben Thompson praised the app, saying he was “wowed” by the feature that allows customers to input an item and have it mapped directly to it in the store.
McMillon himself was impressed with the app’s features.
“I’ve used and know our stores as well as anyone, but I couldn’t find Command Hooks the other day, I used our app and it took me straight to Command Hooks, I was grateful. You can use it to do all kinds of things and we will continue to add use cases for this,” said the CEO.
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES ELSEWHERE
While Walmart’s payment system isn’t as technologically advanced as shoppers expect, the retailer is tech-savvy in other areas.
For example, the retailer launched an immersive digital experience called Walmart Realm about a month ago.
Why doesn’t Walmart offer Apple Pay?
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon revealed why stores don’t offer Apple Pay on Stratechery with Ben Thompson.
While the retailer’s use of Apple Pay has been an ongoing conversation, McMillon emphasized that “we would like customers to open our app in store all the time.”
The app can be used to help find items in the store, but it can also be used to pay for your purchases.
“That’s one of the things we’d like people to use our app for,” he said.
Walmart Chief Marketing Officer William White announced it on LinkedIn, calling it a fantastic, inspiring and fun addition.
He shared that the virtual realm “pushes the boundaries as a first-of-its-kind digital shopping experience, with influencer-led virtual stores in immersive worlds.”
At retailer websiteshoppers can digitally explore three themed virtual environments – So Jelly, Y’allternative and Go Chromatic.
In maritime, western and metallic themed environments, shoppers can look for products that combine home, beauty and fashion.
In related news, Walmart responds to a shopper’s dangerous item – the store wouldn’t let her exchange it.
Additionally, Walmart will close two more stores in the same state in just a few weeks.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
