The Walmart application is about to get much more useful to shoppers who use the Android app as part of their in-store shopping experience thanks to a new series of features the company calls “Store Assistant.” The store assistant update includes more than just helpful services for when a customer is physically at a local Walmart store. Aside from general application optimizations and bug fixes the update includes, the application‘s shopping list feature has gotten a major overhaul. For starters, customers can now search for non-specific items on any of their shopping lists through a search feature that will then allow them to browse their chosen local store for items matching what they’re looking for. As items are added, prices are tallied up, including tax, so that customers can more easily stick to their budget before ever leaving their home.
As to the updates which only appear when a consumer enters a Walmart location, the biggest new addition is a navigation feature which maps out each store. The maps will be made available for all 4,700 of the company’s locations and will help locate in-store items by aisle and even providing a general idea of where it will be on the shelf. For now, the company hasn’t provided a timeframe for when the rollout of the functionality will be complete for every location. Going further still, more store information will become available when a customer opens the app. For example, users can check whether a store has specific departments, inform themselves about any location’s hours or phone numbers, and check the availability of some limited services like the Rug Doctor.
Finally, the company has added prescription pickups, merchandise returns, and more to the Walmart app. The product search bar and scanner icon have been revamped to make it easier to locate, price, and see reviews on specific items. There’s a lot there to make the whole shopping experience less of a hassle using the app but Walmart has also said users should keep an eye out for future updates as well. The company has hinted at features allowing users to drop pins on the new map in order to map their route through a given store or to book an oil change or other services in advance. In the meantime, anybody interested in checking out the newly updated app can do so by referring to the Google Play Store banner below.