For its 2019 holiday toy catalog, Walmart has added a new feature enabling shoppers to scan and purchase the merchandise via the Walmart mobile app. The new digitized experience enables customers to scan and shop hundreds of toys, including more than 150 exclusives, through their iOS or Android devices.
The “Scan & Shop powered by Digimarc” technology is featured in 35 million catalogs that are being distributed in Walmart’s approximately 4,800 U.S. stores, and mailed directly to shoppers and third-party toy resellers.
With fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, Walmart has taken additional steps to get shoppers in gear for the season, starting with an “Early Deals Drop” that started Oct. 25, followed by the release of the toy catalog on Nov. 1 and sneak peeks at Black Friday deals. By making its print catalog more transactional with pages that can be scanned via a mobile app, Walmart aims to ease the friction of online checkout while keeping shoppers within its own app.
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Walmart activated the seasonal toy catalog by enhancing pages with Digimarc Barcode, an advanced barcode technology designed to remain imperceptible to consumers. Walmart also integrated the Digimarc Mobile software development kit (SDK) into its flagship app for both iOS and Android to enable the feature.
The toy catalog expands on the partnership between Walmart and Digimarc, which provides the retailer with Fresh Product Labels designed for more reliable and efficient scanning at checkout.
