Walmart’s mini program “Scan to Buy” has attracted over 10 users in China

Walmart Scan & Go use in China has broken through the 10 million-users barrier, the first mini-program in the retail industry to reach such a broad user base.

Since launching last April, Walmart Scan & Go – which allows customers to scan their own items and complete payment on their mobile phones for in-store purchases – has been promoted in nearly 300 Walmart stores in more than 50 cities. By the end of the year, it is expected to be available in more than 400 Walmart stores across the country.

In the two-month tryout period in some Walmart stores, Scan & Go reached a penetration rate of up to 30 per cent of in-store customers choosing to use the mini-program to make payment. About 95 per cent of those users said they were willing to continue to use this new self-help checkout method.

The mini-program also features an electronic mapping service called “Find My Item”, which provides customers with an electronic map-based shopping guide service helping in-store customers to quickly locate the products they need.

Jordan Berke, Walmart China Hypermarket’s VP of e-commerce said: “Walmart Scan & Go is one of our important initiatives to deliver innovation and omni-channel experiences to our customers… We believe that innovative technologies provide a more convenient experience to customers and enhance customer loyalty.”

Cecilia Tian, head of smart retail strategic partnership at Walmart’s partner Tencent, said: “Scan & Go meets the customer’s needs by shortening the checkout time. For retailers, Scan & Go helps anchor their digital assets and improve the digitalisation and CRM capability. It brings positive impact on O2O business. Tencent hopes to collaborate with retail partners such as Walmart, who are able to build a holistic, seamless O2O experience with digitalisation tools, improve the operation efficiency and drive business growth.”