Walmart has introduced an online baby registry to further build upon the retailer’s upgraded online experience. One of the registry’s key features is Hoo the Owl, a chatbot that asks parents questions about their baby to help them get started. The personalization tool gathers information including birth date, gender (or if the parents prefer, gender neutral), state and preferred nursery theme, then pre-populates the registry list with relevant items.
Walmart plans to expand Hoo’s personalization capabilities in the coming months, for example by adding questions about organic and sustainable product preferences. The retailer also is adding new nursery themes, such as woodland and modern, to its more traditional offerings.
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Parents can create and manage their registry using the Walmart App, initiate returns online and use Siri to open the registry. Gift-givers can use the app to shop their friends’ registries, as well as check for in-store availability and scan receipts to mark items as purchased.
Walmart’s new online baby brands include BOB, Jujube, nanobébé, Owlet and Hello Bello, while more than 2,000 products from brands including Chicco, Monbébé, Britax, the Halo Bassinest, nanobébé and Hello Bello have been added in-store.
The registry and new products are the latest update to the online nursery destination Walmart launched in July 2018, after searches for baby products jumping 40% during the prior year. The retailer also added 30,000 new items during this time frame, including products for closet storage, car seats, nursing, diaper changing and other baby care necessities.
