High-tech kiosks are designed to streamline in-store pickup

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart, which last year began testing a high-tech vending machines that make it easier for customers to pick up Walmart.com orders at their local store, is rolling the technology out. The retailer plans to have the giant self-service kiosks, which Walmart calls Pickup Towers, in more than 100 of its U.S. stores within the next several months.

The massive towers, which stand about 16 feet tall, are currently in about 20 stores. Typically located near the store entrance, the kiosks automate the process of picking up an online order, with the aim of making it faster and more convenient for consumers.

To use the Pickup Towers, Walmart customers simply place an online order with their computer or mobile device, and wait for an email indicating the order is ready for pickup. The email contains a barcode, which the consumer can then scan at the kiosk at the base of the Pickup Tower. The package then moves down a chute to a pickup window, where the consumer can grab it.

Walmart has also tested pickup lockers at some locations, and is testing a larger version of the Pickup Tower for grocery orders. The retailer has said that customer reactions will determine which of these approaches is ultimately rolled out.

The Pickup Towers are one of many initiatives Walmart is undertaking in an effort to leverage its network of brick-and-mortar stores, as well as its e-commerce capabilities, to give its customers a seamless experience and better compete with Amazon.com and other rivals.

Another example is Easy Reorder, a new feature of the the retailer’s web site and mobile app. Designed to make repeat orders easier, the app remembers items a customer has previously purchased at Walmart — either in a store or online — and adds them to an Easy Reorder list.

“We’re integrating both in-store and online purchases to provide you with a single spot to view (and repurchase) the items that you buy most frequently – items like dog food, cereal, shampoo and diapers,” Jordan Sweetnam, vice president of customer experience and product for Walmart Global eCommerce,” noted in a blog post on Walmart’s web site. “Easy Reorder is part of our team’s laser focus on helping customers save both money and time by leveraging our more than 4,700 stores and Walmart.com.”