Walmart camera AI shares data with advertisers at 350 sites

Navori Labs has deployed a unified digital signage software and AI-based camera analytics solution for Walmart Connect, the omnichannel retail media business of Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica.

The solution is now live across all 173 Walmart Supercenters in Mexico and 180 of 200 in-country Sam’s Club locations, with the remaining 20 stores to follow.

The integrated Navori Labs QL digital signage and Aquaji analytics solution allows Walmart to gather customer engagement metrics and offer valuable analytics, including shopper demographics, to DOOH advertising partners that advertise their brands across their in-store digital media networks.

Navori Labs came onto Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica’s radar earlier this year when business leaders expressed an interest in digital signage strategy that would also support programmatic DOOH advertising, ad campaign management and proof of playback reporting. Navori’s Aquaji solution provides shopper demographics and foot traffic data directly within QL’s CMS, alongside proof of play data for ads.

The data is valuable for both Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica and its advertising partners, as all parties can access deep analytics that enhance campaign strategies based on real-time, store-level customer behaviours. At present, each store has one camera near the entrance that can automatically swivel to track customers anonymously. The camera is installed with a totem that includes a large built-in portrait display for digital signage content presentation, powered through QL software.

Walmart Connect expects to add more QL-powered displays and Aquaji cameras in strategic store locations, including integration with existing system-on-chip (SoC) displays that show digital signage content.

“The totem has an audience measurement camera that provides us with invaluable data, as it helps us better understand our customers’ consumption habits in order to offer segmented strategies based on our advertisers’ campaign objectives,” said Jonatan Fasano, head of product at Walmart Connect Mexico y Centroamerica.

In addition to adding more screens and cameras, plans include deploying additional QL features including its advertising campaign module, advanced content scheduling, and context-aware automation for content playout. The latter two features will allow network operators to automate all content management based on business rules, reducing the need for manual, day-to-day content management tasks.

In the meantime, the unified solution is helping DOOH advertisers monetise campaigns by selecting the days and times when their target demographics are most known to be in the store.

Navori Labs CEO Jerome Moeri, commented: “As the first to market with a unified digital signage and analytics solution, we are now seeing the benefits of this technology in action for Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica and other Navori customers. Rather than piece together software solutions from disparate vendors with inconsistent success, the native interoperability of QL and Aquaji offers our customers in retail and other vertical markets with an out-of-the-box solution that produces immediate results upon deployment to make smarter business decisions and improve the customer experience. We look forward to extending the solution into additional heavy foot traffic areas for Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica to capture an even broader set of data for stores and advertisers.”