Walmart’s warehouse club, Sam’s Club, has launched its first all-digital store, which will be cashier-free. This bold experiment hopes to positively change the retail experience.
Walking into the newly opened Dallas-area store, customers won’t find any cashiers or traditional checkout lanes. It’s all about scanning your own products with your smartphone and making a quick payment.
A large area is dedicated to fulfilling e-commerce orders, a clear recognition of the growing dominance of online shopping.
Peter Keith, senior research analyst at Piper Sandler, tells CNBC news Sam’s Club has differentiated itself by embracing e-commerce offerings and appealing to customers who want faster in-store shopping.
“It really eliminates the most painful part of these membership clubs, which is the long lines to check out,” says Keith.
Chick-fil-A also experiment with cashier-free concept
Chick-fil-A also tested this unique concept with no cashiers in its restaurants earlier this year. Customers pay for their food and drinks with their mobile phones and collect the order.
It was first introduced to New York City residents in March 2024 and later rolled out to the US.
Inside the restaurant are active status board screens. This is to streamline the online orders and mobile pickups. Customers and delivery drivers can view their orders on the screens in real-time.
What lessons can logistics and retail learn?
Integration with technology is vital. While the concept of checkout-free shopping isn’t new, Sam’s Club is taking it one step further. They are encouraging customers to engage with its digital offerings through interactive product displays and on-site support.
It’s also optimizing its space. Sam’s Club has four times the space for e-commerce order fulfillment compared to traditional stores. This is a reminder to rethink physical layouts to handle higher volumes of online orders and curbside pickups.
This way, online orders can be packed faster, speeding up the process for both online and in-store customers.
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Photo credit: Sam’s Club
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Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.