Walmart on Thursday introduced its own payment solution ‘Walmart Pay’, compatible with any iOS or Android device and with any major credit, debit, pre-paid or Walmart gift card, the company said in a press release. The new Apple Pay competitor will roll out in select Walmart stores in the USA this month, followed by a nationwide launch within the first half of 2016. From there, once at the register for checkout, you need to activate your phone camera and scan the code displayed, which will then send an e-receipt to the app, according to Android Central.
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During the checkout, you would be required to select Walmart Pay as the payment option.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, the company appears to have taken a step back from CurrentC by launching Walmart Pay, but Daniel Eckert, Walmart’s USA head of services, said Walmart still plans to work with the joint venture. That exclusivity was temporary and expired in August, a Walmart spokesperson said, freeing members to allow other mobile wallet transactions.
“We’re really working hard to create a seamless shopping experience at Walmart”, Neil Ashe, president and CEO of Walmart global ecommerce, told reporters on Wednesday.
The service joins a growing field that includes mobile payment options from Apple, Android and Samsung. This festive season, Wal-Mart included new features like permitting online customers to check in once they got to the parking area so they could have their online requests prepared for pickup.
Walmart says that 140 million customers head into it’s stores every week and around 22 million of these use its app every month, so it’s more than likely these customers will try out Walmart Pay as well. It essentially combines a checkout payment system with app functionality, which allows customers to also locate items in-store or pick up items they have reserved. “The simplicity and easy of Walmart Pay comes not only from how it works, but also in how it’s built”.
Walmart is among the largest supporters of retail payments giant MCX.
The number of tap-capable mobile payment machines in the United States is expected to surpass 1.5 million this year.
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Wal-Mart said in October that it would spend $2 billion on its digital business over the course of this year and next.
