Walmart is channeling Amazon Go in its new store designs, including cashier-free checkouts where customers can pay with QR codes through the Walmart Pay digital wallet.

Why should we care?
Walmart has been looking to retire traditional checkouts for years, experimenting with techniques like scan and go, QR code-based payments, and Apple store-style associate assisted checkouts where consumers can pay through devices provided by Walmart staffers. It appears the coronavirus pandemic, and the demand for contact-free transactions, is driving the momentum towards contactless transactions. By the end of this fiscal year, the redesigned Walmart experience will be in nearly 200 Supercenters and will reach close to 1,000 stores by next fiscal year. In rolling out QR code-based payments, Walmart is stopping short of ‘walk in, walk out’ payments like Amazon Go, but the retailer appears to be more interested in driving up adoption of Walmart Pay than eliminating checkouts altogether. Stores will include self-checkout kiosks as well as contactless payment solutions to limit contact between associates and customers.