Sam’s Club - of Walmart - is expanding its digital advertising platform with the launch of display ads within its popular Scan & Go mobile checkout feature.
The move aims to enhance the member shopping experience while providing advertisers with new opportunities to reach consumers at a crucial point in the purchase journey.
The retailer's Member Access Platform will now serve display ads to customers as they scan items in-store using the Scan & Go app.
These ads will dynamically update as shoppers add products to their virtual cart, offering brands an opportunity to showcase complementary or related items.
"This new capability reflects our member obsession and commitment to ensuring ads reach the right members at the right time in their shopping journeys,” said Diana Marshall, executive vice-president and chief growth officer at Sam’s Club.
“Creating a closed-loop, omnichannel advertising experience enables us to better understand member shopping behaviour and ad performance, ensuring we keep the member experience at the forefront while helping our advertisers achieve their objectives."
The integration of display ads into Scan & Go is part of Sam’s Club’s broader strategy to leverage its digital capabilities to drive growth.
The retailer has seen significant adoption of its Scan & Go feature, with a 50% increase in usage over the past three years.
The platform will provide detailed performance metrics, including return on ad spend, click-through rates, and incremental sales to help brands measure the effectiveness of their campaigns.
“Sam’s Club is at the forefront of retail media 2.0,” said Andrew Lipsman, founder and chief analyst at Media, Ads + Commerce. “By blending physical and digital shopping experiences, they’re creating a new advertising landscape that benefits both retailers and brands.”
The scheme's initial launch will target a select group of members, with a full rollout planned in the subsequent weeks.
Several major brands, including Unilever, have already signed on to participate in the programme.
