Wal-Mart to do Sam's Self Driving

 More autonomous elements of the supply chain. 

Self-Driving Truck Will Deliver Goods to 34 Sam's Club Locations

The Dallas Morning News

Alexandra Skores, June 7, 2022

Starting in July, Gatik, a California-based autonomous trucking company, will make deliveries to 34 Sam's Club locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, using autonomous 26-foot box trucks. Gatik's Richard Steiner said each truck will make an average of three runs per day, driving about 100 miles round-trip. The trucks initially will include a safety driver, but eventually will operate without such a driver. Gatik started testing the technology with Sam's Club parent company Walmart in December 2020, operating on a seven-mile loop in Bentonville, AR. Said Steiner, "It's something which is new for the space, and we're excited to be doing it first here in Texas."  .... ' 

Sams Pilots Makes Scanning more Efficient

The difference here is simple,  users don.t have to search for a barcode.   And we assume that this will work with sometimes non barcoded product like produce?  Have used Scan & Go at Kroger.    Will customers notice?  How different will be this be than Amazon Go?  The tests indicate considerably less time to scan.

Will new Scan & Go tech turbocharge Sam’s checkouts?  by Matthew Stern in Retailwire  with further expert commentary.

This spring, Sam’s Club will begin piloting an upgrade to its Scan & Go technology that is meant to enable customers to scan purchases even faster while they shop.

The new solution uses machine learning and computer vision to identify products when a shopper points their smartphone at them, according to TechCrunch. In Sam’s Club’s standard app, users are required to find a barcode on the product and scan it before putting it into their cart. The item is then added to their digital cart so they can pay via app. The ability of customers to scan each item without flipping them around to search for a barcode cuts down demonstrably on the time it takes.

A demonstration video (see t the link) indicates that on a test item, the new app takes only 3.4 seconds to scan, down from 9.3 seconds when a customer has to search for the barcode. The technology came out of the Sam’s Club Now high-tech test store in Dallas, which opened last year. The first tests of the new technology will be at this store.  ... " 

Sams Can Scan Product as Opposed to Barcodes

Different than Amazon Go,  probably will not get the same same exposure.

Sam’s Club Files Patent for Scan & Go Technology
Retailer's members will begin testing the new app this spring     By WGB Staff

Walmart's Sam’s Club division has developed what it describes as "next-level" scan and go technology in its Dallas-based innovation lab that will enable members to recognize products from any angle without requiring them to search for a barcode on the package. The membership warehouse club retailer has filed a patent for its new mobile-first shopping experience and will soon allow members to test it beginning this spring using the Sam’s Club Now app.

In a blog post on Sam's Club's website, Eddie Garcia, VP of product and member experience, said that the retailer anticipates incorporating the same technology, which uses computer vision and machine learning, for associates to use as well to improve productivity and make it easier to serve members.

"At its core, Sam’s Club Now will be a technology lab that doubles as a live, retail club. It’s where we will incubate, test and refine technologies to help define the future of retail," Garcia said. "The future of retail is as much about people as it is about technology. ... "