Walmart is testing LED-projected floor ads in Bentonville store

Walmart, which has said it will use innovative measures in stores to boost sales, is testing LED projectors that display ads on the floor of the Supercenter on South Walton Boulevard in Bentonville.

There are three projectors displaying colorful ads on the floors in the toy department. Fayetteville-based Field Agent sent agents to the store on Wednesday (April 17) to chronicle their reactions to the ads. Agents responded by saying the LED signs on the floor were eye-catching and “definitely grab your attention.”

The signs draw attention to special price rollbacks or everyday low prices of specific toys such as Hot Wheels and Nerf products, with the prices highlighted on the floor ad. The projectors are mounted in the ceiling above the aisles. There was a third projector on the girls’ toy aisle that was not in use when Talk Business & Politics visited the store on Wednesday.

The ads did grab the attention of a few shoppers, with most looking up to find the source of the display. Walmart did not return a request for comment on the LED floor ads.

Field Agent also surveyed shoppers on how influential the ads would be with their in-store purchases. Half of the consumers said the ads could be “very influential” for items they purchased and half said the ads had the potential to be “moderately influential.”

Asking shoppers about the effectiveness of the LED ad versus conventional non-digital signage, the majority (75%) said the LED ads are better attention-getters, while 50% said the LED ads could also be more effective at triggering a purchase. The majority (75%) said the colorful ads on the floor also have the potential to create an enjoyable shopping experience.

Field Agent said the move by Walmart to test the floor display ads is important considering the massive floor real estate of 5,000 stores with an average of 150,000 square feet.

“That’s a lot of advertising space there … a really, really big billboard that you can walk on,” Field Agent noted in the blog post.

The test in Store 100 in Bentonville comes on the heels of the Polymorph Labs acquisition for an undisclosed amount. Walmart said the deal will help it better interface with suppliers on ads produced directly through Walmart’s Media Group.

“With 90% of America shopping at Walmart every year and nearly 160 million visitors to our stores and websites every week, Walmart Media Group enables brands to reach more customers at scale and measure advertising effectiveness across the entire shopping journey,” said Stefanie Jay, vice president, Walmart Media Group.

Leon Nicholas, vice president of retail insights with WestRock, said Wednesday the arc of retail merchandising is bending toward digital. Speaking to retail suppliers at the Doing Business in Bentonville breakfast Wednesday, Nicholas said digital displays and the use of digital advertising have the power to interact with shoppers. He said Walmart will rely more on stores for increased sales to help support the retailer’s online business that isn’t cash flowing. Nicholas also told suppliers to think digitally about their advertising opportunities at retail because that is the future.