Walmart has announced that the 2025 holiday shopping period has officially started. So, to help its customers find the best deals, build shopping lists, and plan their celebrations, it has launched a suite of advanced technology and artificial intelligence-powered features to help in-store and online shoppers complete their shopping efficiently and effectively.
Why it Matters
According to market intelligence data, 19% of U.S. consumers don’t plan to do any holiday shopping this year, with many feeling it’s too emotionally and financially costly.
Walmart is hoping that its new AI-powered shopping features, which include “store-specific savings and interactive 3D showrooms,” will turn the high cost of holiday shopping into an easier, smoother experience, reducing both the emotional and financial burdens.
What To Know
On October 31, 2025, Walmart announced five new shopping tools that are built into the Walmart App, which it hopes will make both in-store and online shopping easier:
- In-Store Savings Tool: This feature flags products that are on sale—including Black Friday deals, Rollbacks, and clearance items—in a customer’s local Walmart store.
- Enhanced Search and Navigation: When in their local Walmart, customers can use this feature to search for an item, check if it’s in stock, and discover its exact location within the store.
- Wish List: Customers can add gift ideas to a “wish list,” which saves each item according to which aisle it’s in at their local store.
- AI-Powered Party Planning: When prompted, Walmart’s AI assistant, Sparky, will curate a list of supplies, specifically for special occasions like parties and family gatherings.
- 3D and Augmented Reality Shopping: Shoppers can use AI-driven augmented reality to view home décor and holiday scenes in 3D. For instance, with “Shop the Background,” customers can click on items within online images and add them to their cart, and with “Dynamic Showroom,” they can view specific rooms (e.g. a moody dining room) and swap out furnishings to match their taste.
- AI-Generated Audio Summaries: Customers can now listen to short audio clips of product descriptions and reviews from over 1,000 premium beauty products, so they can shop on the go instead of spending time reading.
What People Are Saying
Tracy Poulliot, Senior Vice President of Shopping Experiences at Walmart U.S said: “The most wonderful time of the year should be joyful, and with the power of AI and technology, we’re making that possible. Whether customers are holiday shopping in our stores or from the comfort of home, we’re giving them the tools to check off their lists quicker and easier than ever before. And they’re loving it — when they use the app while they shop in stores, they spend 25 percent more on average than on trips when they don’t use the app.”
Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Walmart Inc., previously said in a statement: “For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change. There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media, personalized, and contextual. We are running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future with Sparky.”
What Happens Next
Walmart’s investment in technology and AI represents a broader trend within the retail industry toward building and deploying advanced tech-based solutions that prioritize customer experience, convenience, and personalization.