American company Walmart is joining forces with OpenAI to offer customers shopping directly through the ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Walmart, the largest grocery chain in the US, announced this on its website on Tuesday. The company is trying to keep pace with how consumers search for the goods they want to buy.
Artificial intelligence is changing the way we shop online
Customers are looking for gift ideas or better prices not only on social media or retailers’ websites, but increasingly on ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence chatbots.
“For many years, shopping in e-shops has consisted of a search field and a long list of product responses,” said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon in a press release. “But that will soon change,” he added. According to him, the AI feature will be “multimedia, personalized, and contextual,” making it more enjoyable and convenient for customers.
Walmart benefits from AI
Thanks to AI-based shopping, the shopping experience is changing from reactive to proactive. AI learns, plans, and predicts, which will help customers anticipate their needs before they even realize them themselves, the company writes in a press release.
Walmart’s shares rose 4.98 percent to $107.21 on Tuesday. During the day, they reached a record high of $107.92. The rise in share prices suggests that investors see investment in AI as strategically important for the company’s long-term growth. According to analysts’ estimates, the expansion of AI technologies could significantly increase sales efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the customer experience not only at Walmart but across the entire retail sector.
Source: Reuters
