{"id":601743,"date":"2023-01-27T06:56:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T12:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/27\/hands-on-with-walmarts-new-but-buggy-text-to-shop-feature\/"},"modified":"2023-01-27T06:56:12","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T12:56:12","slug":"hands-on-with-walmarts-new-but-buggy-text-to-shop-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/27\/hands-on-with-walmarts-new-but-buggy-text-to-shop-feature\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands on with Walmart\u2019s new (but buggy) \u2018Text to Shop\u2019 feature"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Walmart recently introduced a new way to shop: via text. Last month, the retail giant launched<\/a> its \u201cText to Shop\u201d experience which allows mobile consumers across both iOS and Android devices to text Walmart the items they want to purchase from either their local stores or Walmart.com, or easily reorder items for pickup, delivery, or shipping. However, the chat experience as it stands today does not come across as fully baked, our tests found. The chatbot said confusing things and the user interface at times was difficult to navigate, despite aiming to be a simpler, text-based shopping experience.<\/p>\n

Conversational commerce, or shopping via text, is an area that\u2019s been seeing increased investment over the past couple of years with numerous startups entering the market<\/a>. Walmart, too, has connections with this space, as its former head of U.S. e-commerce Marc Lore backed a conversational commerce startup<\/a>, Wizard. And Walmart itself acquired assets from a design tool called Botmock<\/a> which had built technology that allowed companies to design, prototype, test and deploy conversational commerce applications.<\/p>\n

The new \u201cText to Shop\u201d feature, meanwhile, was built in-house using internal IP in partnership with Walmart\u2019s Global Tech team and was tested with customers ahead of its launch. The beta version was available for around a year\u2019s time before December\u2019s public debut, but had only been accessible on an invite-only basis.<\/p>\n

At launch, the \u201cText to Shop\u201d feature ow customers to shop Walmart\u2019s entire assortment via chat, whether that\u2019s your weekly grocery order from a nearby store or an e-commerce order you want shipped to your home.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Walmart<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Customers more recently began receiving emails to alert them to the fact that \u201cText to Shop\u201d was newly available, which prompted our tests. The feature was also highlighted in Apple\u2019s announcement of its new Apple Business Connect dashboard<\/a>, which allows businesses to manage and update their information on Apple Maps. Here, Walmart partnered with Apple so customers who visit the Walmart business listing card on Apple Maps could tap on a \u201cmessage us\u201d button to get started with a \u201cText to Shop\u201d session.<\/p>\n

In theory, chat-based shopping is supposed to simplify online shopping by bringing it into a more familiar texting interface. But in practice, Walmart\u2019s chatbot made some missteps when we tried it, making for a more cumbersome experience compared with a traditional order placed through the Walmart website or app.<\/p>\n

The initial steps in getting started with \u201cText to Shop\u201d was easy, however, as you just sign into your Walmart account and agree to its terms. The bot then sends you a helpful introduction and some tips on how the system works. It tells you that you can just type in the names of items you want, like \u201cGreat Value Oatmeal\u201d and explains how to set your local store, among other things.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Screenshot of Walmart Text to Shop<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But already, it was clear the system would have a few quirks, as it informed you that items you typed in single quotes would serve as commands.<\/p>\n

For example, typing \u2018Reorder\u2019 with quotes would allow you to buy things again. This seemed like an odd requirement, given that the word \u201creorder\u201d wouldn\u2019t likely match a product a customer wanted to buy through text-based shopping \u2014 or at least, it should be assumed that a text with that word is a command. Plus, it puts an unnecessary burden on the end-user at a time when they\u2019ve just started trying to learn a new system.<\/p>\n

In my tests, I ordered a few basic items, like milk, eggs, bread, and water. The system didn\u2019t immediately warn me that I had lingering items in my cart from an online order I had abandoned weeks ago.<\/p>\n

The system also doesn\u2019t prompt you upon your first text to choose whether you want to start an order for delivery, pickup or shipping. Instead, it returns a selection of options that match your request. But the way it did so was confusing.<\/p>\n

In my test, I typed \u201c2% milk,\u201d and it responded twice<\/em> with possible options. \u201cOK! 2 % milk, 3 choices coming down\u201d the bot said, followed by a link that takes you to a list. But then it replied again, \u201cThese are the closest options I found for 2 % milk,\u201d and offered another list.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After picking an item, you\u2019re instructed to \u201cselect one of these options next\u201d which offered choices like \u201csearch for pickup,\u201d \u201csearch for shipping,\u201d or \u201csearch for delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would seem that asking the customer how they were shopping should have been the first step, especially if product availability varies by order type. In this test, I chose delivery.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when the bot texted me that I now had 6 things in my cart \u2014 a surprise, since I hadn\u2019t remembered my earlier abandoned choices.<\/p>\n

That one was on me, though, I admitted. I tapped \u201cView cart\u201d to delete the weeks-old selections. The bot didn\u2019t immediately display the cart. Instead, it responds with your item count and total. You then have to tap a link that follows to view the cart, which pops up in another screen. I expected this to operate like a web version of a Walmart checkout page, the screen was missing obvious tools to delete items or change the quantities, which you would normally find on an e-commerce shopping cart page.<\/p>\n

In fact, the interface instructs you to \u201ctap to view, select or remove,\u201d but presents radio buttons to tap and then a \u201cSend\u201d button at the bottom to\u2026well, I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

How would it know if I was instructing it to show me the item or remove it?, I wondered. And why would I even need to view the item elsewhere, when its full name, photo, quantity, and price are shown here?<\/p>\n

Still, I tapped \u201cSend\u201d to remove the old items (which were not the newly-added milk), only to be returned to the main chat screen where I was informed, inaccurately, \u201cOk, all milk taken out!\u201d Now my cart had 5 things, it said. It had only removed one of my selections.<\/p>\n

I tried again, tapping the other 5 items to be removed, and again, the bot responded, \u201cOk, all milk taken out!\u201d<\/p>\n

In reality, the milk was the only item that remained. The bot was wrong.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Screenshot of Walmart Text to Shop<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Now, with only the milk remaining (despite the texts to the contrary) the bot asked me what I wanted to do next \u2014 maybe view cart or checkout?<\/p>\n

This is a very dumb bot, I thought. Does anyone get just milk delivered and nothing else?<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t ready for that so I tried another query. \u201cEggs,\u201d I typed. The bot only returned three choices: all Walmart brand large white eggs but in different sizes. Odd, since I know Walmart, like most retailers, has a much larger egg selection.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Screenshot of Walmart Text to Shop<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOrganic eggs,\u201d I texted, hoping for better egg options. This worked, and I added Pete and Gerry\u2019s eggs to the cart without hassle. The bot now updated me on my total. My cart had two items, milk and eggs, and my subtotal was $10.40. (I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s a good idea to tell the customer the running price if they don\u2019t ask! Yikes!)<\/em><\/p>\n

Then I tried something to intentionally confuse the system. Knowing that end-users often don\u2019t play by the script, I scrolled back up to tap \u201cPickup\u201d instead of \u201cDelivery.\u201d This is the kind of thing a customer might do if they think choosing pickup would offer them a different selection of eggs. But the bot didn\u2019t make that logical leap, asking \u201csure, what product would you like to search for pickup?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind,\u201d I texted. \u201cNo problem. Talk to you later,\u201d the bot replied.<\/p>\n

I then went to add the next item on my list. \u201cLa Croix,\u201d I texted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the closest options I found for la croix organic eggs for pickup,\u201d the bot answered. Uh? What?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I had clearly confused this bot quite a lot, it seems.<\/p>\n

It texts me a list to view and asks me to select the delivery method, and then texted the list again. It only returned three La Croix options to choose from. A search in the Walmart app returned 10, however.<\/p>\n

This system isn\u2019t useful at all, apparently, unless you enter a very specific choice.<\/p>\n

That realization made me dread my next item: bread. I didn\u2019t have a brand in mind, as I usually browse and look for sales on favorite types and brands. I ask for \u201cmultigrain bread\u201d and I only have three options shown to me alongside another message telling me I can \u201csearch for pickup\u201d or \u201cshipping.\u201d I understand now these delivery choices are apparently texted every time you request an item, rather than the system building you a cart for a particular delivery method. (I didn\u2019t tap these options because I was going to have the items delivered.)<\/p>\n

\u201cCheckout,\u201d I then texted \u2014 without the single quotes, just like an everyday user would likely do, having forgotten the earlier command syntax that involved using quotes.<\/p>\n

And, it worked. You could then select to view the cart or checkout, and through a separate screen, you could book a delivery time. So you didn\u2019t need the quotes?<\/p>\n

There were other odd user interface choices here, as well though.<\/p>\n

For instance, this screen presented you with an option to change the \u201cquantity\u201d of the selected items, when earlier that wasn\u2019t possible. I tapped the \u201cChange quantity\u201d button (as I\u2019m now rethinking those expensive eggs!). This sent an automated command, to which the system replied \u201cCan you please rephrase that?\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Screenshot of Walmart Text to Shop<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I wonder if some of the issues with the bot are because it didn\u2019t know my local store, somehow, even though this is already configured under my Walmart account \u2014 which I had authenticated with to start.<\/p>\n

\u201cSet store,\u201d I typed, even using the single quote format.<\/p>\n

The bot told me to choose my location and texted me two options. Both were my home street address, without the house number. Both were identical options.<\/p>\n

At this point, it felt like the process of ordering a few basic things has become an ordeal and has taken a lot longer than the traditional method of searching in Walmart\u2019s app and adding things to the cart. If conversational commerce like this is the future, I\u2019d say this is very much still a work in progress.<\/p>\n

I abandoned the cart and didn\u2019t complete the order.<\/p>\n

When I asked Walmart about some of the issues I encountered, wondering if this was all still a beta test, a spokesperson said the company would \u201ccontinue to refine and optimize Text to Shop to ensure we\u2019re providing the best experience possible for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s hope!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Sarah Perez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Walmart recently introduced a new way to shop: via text. Last month, the retail giant launched its \u201cText to Shop\u201d experience which allows mobile consumers across both iOS and Android devices to text Walmart the items they want to purchase from either their local stores or Walmart.com, or easily reorder items for pickup, delivery, or<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":601744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[317,46,24539],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-601743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hands","category-technology","category-walmarts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}