Walmart Data Ventures Brings New AI Power to Scintilla, Giving Suppliers a Faster Path from Insight to Action

Walmart is taking another major step in reshaping how suppliers access and apply data. Its Scintilla platform, built and managed by Walmart Data Ventures, is adding new artificial intelligence features that make analytics more intuitive, conversational, and actionable.

Originally launched as Luminate in 2021 and renamed Scintilla in early 2025, the platform provides suppliers with a unified view of sales, shopper behavior, and category trends across Walmart’s stores and digital channels. According to Walmart, Scintilla subscribers already outperform non-subscribers by about fifteen percent in omnichannel growth. That performance gap reflects a growing reality: suppliers who can interpret and act on first-party data are gaining an edge over those who cannot.

From Data Access to Conversational Insights

In early 2026, Scintilla users will gain access to a conversational AI tool that allows them to ask natural-language questions about metrics, definitions, and performance trends. Instead of navigating multiple dashboards, a user will be able to ask questions such as “What does an increase in digital basket adds mean for my category?” or “How does app conversion compare to web performance?” and receive a clear, contextual answer within seconds.

Mark Hardy, Senior Vice President of Walmart Data Ventures, said the goal is to make advanced analytics approachable for every team. “We need to start with the customer, not with our operational metrics,” he explained. “Being able to educate people at scale on customer behavior and attitudes is where this becomes most impactful.”

For smaller suppliers, this update could act as a digital data partner, reducing dependence on analysts and helping teams move faster from questions to action.

AI Summaries That Shorten the Feedback Loop

Later this year, Walmart plans to launch AI-generated research summaries that help brands quickly interpret survey results from the Customer Spark Community, an invitation-only group of shoppers who provide feedback and test new products. These summaries will condense key findings and identify emerging patterns so that suppliers can act on insights faster.

This upgrade also allows suppliers to collaborate with Walmart’s research teams while surveys are still being developed. By the time a survey closes, brands can already see summarized insights, sentiment analysis, and suggested next steps. For Walmart suppliers, that means faster innovation cycles and more confident product decisions.

A Sharper Look at the Shopper Journey

Scintilla’s Digital Landscapes module has recently been expanded with fifteen new metrics that help suppliers understand how customers browse, compare, and decide online. The data, aggregated and anonymized from Walmart’s website and app, covers traffic sources, add-to-cart and abandonment rates, search behavior, and cross-category movement.

These details paint a more complete picture of how Walmart shoppers move from discovery to purchase. For example, a supplier can now see when product searches on the app convert better than those on the web and adjust content or pricing accordingly.

Linking Insights Directly to Advertising

Walmart has also strengthened Scintilla’s connection to Walmart Connect through a feature called Insights Activation. This link allows suppliers to turn real-time insights into campaign adjustments without delay. If Scintilla data shows a sudden rise in traffic for snack products during a seasonal period, a supplier can immediately increase ad visibility for that category through the same interface.

This tight integration between data and media execution shortens the cycle between learning and doing, which has long been a challenge for suppliers managing multiple platforms.

Faster Response in a Real-Time Environment

Recent reporting from industry outlets such as Supermarket News highlights how Walmart’s data systems now enable it to respond to demand almost instantly when products start to sell faster than expected. That same principle is extending to suppliers through Scintilla.

When the market moves daily or even hourly, the ability to see, understand, and react becomes essential. Waiting a week to review data can mean missing a major opportunity or running out of stock at a critical time.

What Walmart Suppliers Should Do Now

Audit your data workflow. Review how your teams use Scintilla and identify where insights are being delayed or overlooked.

Encourage data fluency. Teach teams to frame better questions so they can use the new conversational tool effectively once it launches.

Link insights to activation. Use Scintilla data to refine targeting and creative within Walmart Connect, ensuring media spend follows shopper intent.

Engage the Customer Spark Community. Gather authentic feedback from Walmart shoppers and apply AI summaries to act on results quickly.

Integrate across functions. Align sales, marketing, and supply chain teams around shared Scintilla insights so decisions remain consistent and coordinated.

The Bigger Picture

Walmart’s investment in Scintilla represents more than another technology rollout. It signals a deeper evolution in the retailer-supplier partnership, one built on shared data, transparency, and speed. By combining first-party insights with AI, Walmart is creating a system where information flows faster and decisions are made closer to the moment of truth.

For suppliers, the opportunity is clear. Those who learn to use Scintilla not only to measure performance but to anticipate it will be positioned to thrive in the next era of retail. Data is no longer the finish line. With Scintilla’s AI capabilities, it has become the starting point for smarter, faster growth.

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