Walmart: Digital Shelf Labels Won't Enable Dynamic Pricing
Walmart CEO John Furner says digital shelf labels are for saving associates time, not changing prices based on personal data or time of day.
Walmart CEO John Furner said the company will not change product prices based on customers' personal information or the time of day, addressing concerns about its rollout of digital shelf labels.
Furner said the switch to digital shelf labels is intended to save store associates time rather than enable dynamic pricing. He also said Walmart will not use conversations with its Sparky AI assistant to change prices.
Walmart announced plans to roll out digital shelf labels in all US stores by the end of the year, as reported by theverge.com.
The comments come as regulators scrutinize personalized pricing. The Federal Trade Commission is working on a policy to clamp down on the practice, while New York requires retailers to disclose when they use algorithmic pricing.
New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland have moved to ban stores from using customers' personal data to change prices.
Quick answers
Will Walmart use digital shelf labels to change prices?
CEO John Furner said the labels are meant to save store associates time, not to enable dynamic pricing.
Will Walmart use Sparky AI conversations to set prices?
No. Furner said Walmart will not use conversations with its Sparky AI assistant to change prices.
What are regulators doing about personalized pricing?
The FTC is working on a policy to clamp down on personalized pricing. New York requires disclosure of algorithmic pricing, and New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland moved to ban using personal data to change prices.