Walmart Adds Digital Twist to Print Catalog

Walmart has added a new digital twist to its annual paper-based seasonal toy catalog, making it faster and easier customers to buy gifts.

Customers with Apple iOS and Google Android devices can use their phones to shop for the hottest toys of the holiday season right from the pages of Walmart’s toy catalog. The new digitized experience – ‘Scan & Shop powered by Digimarc’ – is available now and lets customers scan and shop hundreds of toys, including more than 150 exclusives, through the Walmart app when and how they want.

The new feature is prominently promoted in 35 million printed catalogs available in Walmart’s nearly 4,800 U.S. stores, with millions also mailed to U.S. customers’ homes and major omnichannel toy resellers.

The scannable toy catalog is part of a major holiday season initiative featuring early deals, new and expanded shopping services, more top gifts and fun in stores. Walmart’s holiday campaign features several tech-enabled ways for customers to shop for everyone on their list, and is an extension of its effort to help people around the world save money and live better.

“Creating convenience for Walmart’s customers was a key priority for this year’s toy catalog,” said Alvis Washington, vice president of marketing, Walmart. “Through our partnership with Digimarc, we were able to enhance our catalog with a scan and shop option for our customers. This is an exciting new feature that I know will resonate with our customers.”

Walmart activated the seasonal toy catalog by enhancing pages with Digimarc Barcode, an advanced barcode that adds unprecedented functionality while remaining imperceptible to consumers. Walmart also integrated the Digimarc Mobile software development kit (SDK) into its flagship app for both iOS and Android to enable the Scan & Shop powered by Digimarc feature for customers.