Walmart is perhaps the biggest and most well-known store in the USA, and it doesn’t accept Apple Pay (or Google Pay). What gives?
🛒🚫 Why Walmart Won’t Accept Apple Pay: A Data Story
🔍 TL;DR: Walmart’s refusal to accept Apple Pay or Google Pay isn’t just a random choice. It’s all about data. With its own payment system, Walmart Pay, the retail giant collects and analyzes heaps of customer data. This data fuels personalized shopping experiences and helps Walmart stay on top of the retail game. The bottom line? Walmart wants to keep this valuable data to itself, which is why it opts out of third-party payment systems.
With 4,700+ stores in the US alone, upwards of 95% of Americans have spent money in Walmart at some point during the past 12 months. And this has made the Walton family – who own 50% of Walmart’s stock – one of the richest families in the world.
Walmart is sued, on average, 5000 times per year, and in 2014 – for reasons no one can explain – Walmart sold a record number of bananas (more than one billion pounds). Ten years later, it is still unclear what drove this insatiable banana lust.Click to PostGiven all of this, and the fact that 90% of US shoppers live within 10 miles of a Walmart store, you’d assume the retailer would like to make life as easy as possible for its customers when it comes to paying for goods and services in its stores.
You know, like letting them use Apple Pay – or Google Pay – to pay for goods in store. But you’d be wrong. Walmart does not and likely never will accept any third-party, contactless payments from companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung.
Here’s Why Walmart Hates Apple Pay…
And the reason? Simple: Walmart has its own proprietary mobile payment platform called Walmart Pay and, because this system is proprietary, Walmart gets to keep and analyze all of the data it generates – and, trust me, it generates A LOT of data.
If it let its customers use Apple Pay – or Google Pay – it would lose access to vital data. You don’t get to be one of the biggest retailers on earth without leveraging and using data science to grow your business and get your customers to spend more money.
But Walmart one of the few outliers not to embrace Apple’s contactless payment system. Upwards of 85% of retailers and stores in the US now accept Apple Pay.
Understanding Walmart Pay’s Data Collection and Usage
With all of this data, Walmart’s data analysts can spot trends, isolate specific shopping habits of certain customers (great for bespoke, hyper-targeted offers and deals), and they can even use it to find out which products are performing versus those that aren’t which is great for inventory efficiency.
When it comes to customer spending data, the sky’s the limit in terms of what you can do with it. Sure, things like not using paper receipts for transactions have a nice environmental impact but let’s not kid ourselves: the main reason Walmart Pay exists is to hoard data about Walmart’s customers.
Even a cursory look at Walmart Pay’s T&Cs tells you everything you need to know about how your data is being used by Walmart to bolster its sales and pump up its bottom line.
One of the most notable impacts of data analytics in UK retail is the personalisation of customer experiences. Retailers are now able to use customer data to understand shopping habits, preferences, and trends. Armed with this knowledge, they can curate product recommendations, send targeted offers, and create personalised shopping journeys that resonate with individual customers.
Imagine receiving an email or mobile notification with a selection of products perfectly suited to your tastes, all thanks to data analytics. This level of personalisation not only enhances the shopping experience but also boosts customer loyalty and trust in the brand.
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Key Data Collected by Walmart Pay
Let’s break down exactly what type of data Walmart Pay is collecting and how it is used:
- Transaction Details and Purchase History: Walmart Pay is a data-gathering powerhouse. Each transaction feeds into Walmart’s database, providing insights into your shopping habits. This includes what you buy, when you buy it, and how often you shop.
- Digital Receipts: Gone are the days of cluttered wallets stuffed with paper receipts. Walmart Pay keeps a digital record of every purchase. This not only simplifies your record-keeping but also contributes to a more sustainable shopping environment by reducing paper waste.
How Walmart Utilizes Your Data
![[REVEALED] The Real Reason You Can’t Use Apple Pay In Walmart](https://www.knowyourmobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/How-Walmart-Utilizes-Your-Data-1200x686.webp "[REVEALED] The Real Reason You Can’t Use Apple Pay In Walmart")
Walmart doesn’t just collect data for the sake of it. The aim is to use this wealth of information to refine and improve your shopping journey. This means personalized recommendations and a smoother transaction process.
Behind the scenes, Walmart leverages this data for in-depth analysis and reporting. The goal? To continuously enhance its services and offerings, ensuring that Walmart stays ahead in the retail game.
If Walmart let its users use Apple Pay – or any other, non-Walmart payment system – it would lose access to this mountain of hyper-lucrative data. And this would, of course, massively affect its ability to grow its sales annually.
Bottom Line?
Walmart Pay is a data collection tool. This is why Walmart will not accept Apple Pay or Google Pay. It doesn’t want Apple or Google – or anyone else for that matter – getting access to its customers’ buying and spending habits.
Over 240 million people shop at Walmart on a weekly basis and, as of 2015, around 22 million of them were using Walmart Pay.
Almost 10 years later, that figure has got to be A LOT bigger – Walmart hasn’t published any official usage numbers in a long time.
As with any technology where you are the product, it is always important to regularly check how your data is being used. Big companies have a habit of making big changes to how they collect and use data and then hiding it in T&Cs that no one ever reads.
Walmart’s privacy policy is your go-to resource for up-to-date information on data collection and usage. It’s a document that evolves over time, reflecting changes in data handling practices.
Make it a habit to review Walmart’s privacy policy regularly. This ensures you’re always aware of how your data is being used and what control you have over it.
