Walmart Pay Debuts in Arkansas and Texas
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is rolling out a proprietary mobile payment platform, Walmart Pay, this week in more than 600 stores in Arkansas and Texas, with a nationwide launch set to be complete by the first half of next year.
As its answer to Apple Pay and other mobile payment systems, Walmart's mobile payment option works with either Apple iOS or Android smartphone via the retailer's mobile app, which can be downloaded at the Apple and Google stores.
With the launch, Walmart becomes the only retailer to offer its own payment solution. Residents in northwest Arkansas have had the option of Walmart Pay at several test stores after the retailer announced the service last December, as PG previously reported.
A blog post on the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer's website by Daniel Eckert, SVP of services for Walmart U.S., makes "The Case for Walmart Pay," excerpts of which follow below:
"We live in a digital world. We receive alerts about news breaking around the world in real time, rather than waiting for the Sunday morning newspaper. We can control temperature in our homes, lock doors and set alarms from our smartphones. So it’s time for the retail industry to step up – to allow customers to shop in new ways.
"With the development of Walmart Pay – a new feature built into the Walmart mobile app that allows customers to use a smartphone to pay for in-store purchases – we weren’t focusing on payment for payment’s sake. We set out to marry our physical and digital assets to create a more seamless shopping experience for customers. We designed Walmart Pay to work with almost any smartphone and accept almost any payment type, even allowing for the integration of other mobile wallets in the future. And beginning this summer, it will work at every one of our stores across the U.S.
"So, if you take a moment to activate the new Walmart Pay feature on your Walmart App, your next checkout really will be as simple as one, two, three."
In signing off, Eckert pledged that the company "will continue to find new ways of merging our physical and digital assets to produce a better, more convenient shopping experience. That’s what our customers demand, and it’s what they deserve."