Walmart deploys digital shelf labels amid pricing denials

Walmart is deploying new digital shelf label technology across its stores, including a feature called ‘Shop to Light.’ This tool allows customers to use the Walmart app to trigger an LED on a shelf label, helping them locate specific items in crowded aisles. The hardware also supports associate-facing functions, such as ‘Stock to Light’ for inventory management and ‘Pick to Light’ to assist with online order fulfillment.

In response to criticisms regarding pricing practices, Walmart executive vice president of corporate affairs Dan Bartlett issued a public letter denying that the company uses AI, customer data, or digital shelf labels to implement personalized pricing. Bartlett addressed claims made in the book ‘Gouged’ by Lindsay Owens, stating, ‘We price products, not people.’

Walmart clarified that while it uses AI to personalize product discovery and recommendations, it does not use individual shopping history, income, or time of day to determine what specific shoppers pay. The company maintains that its digital shelf labels do not identify customers or independently set prices.