Walmart’s 2025 Playbook: AI, Drones, and “Who Knew?” — What Suppliers Should Do Next
A Clear Signal from Bentonville
At Associates Week in June, Walmart showcased its new corporate campus while unveiling technology and marketing designed to reintroduce the company. The “Who knew?” campaign, featuring Walton Goggins and Stephanie Beatriz, emphasized that many of Walmart’s newest capabilities are not just on the horizon but already available.
AI Becoming Everyday Utility
The 2025 Retail Rewired report showed that shoppers are beginning to trust AI for decisions once reserved for influencers. More than a quarter of respondents said they prefer AI-powered shopping suggestions, an early indication of how important these tools will become in guiding choices on Walmart’s digital shelf.
Sparky: Walmart’s GenAI Assistant
Walmart launched Sparky, a generative AI assistant within its app, that helps customers compare items, understand reviews, and make purchase decisions. Sparky is being built to expand into reordering and other services, supporting multimodal inputs like text, images, and audio. For suppliers, this means that detailed, structured product data is no longer optional. It is the foundation that determines whether Sparky can surface and recommend a brand’s products.
Action for suppliers: Audit product detail pages for completeness. Include all attributes, clear outcome-based bullets, and customer-centric Q&A that answers “which option should I choose.”
Associate-Facing AI Tools
Walmart is also deploying AI to support its workforce. New tools embedded in the associate app streamline shift planning, task prioritization, and communication. In tests, these systems have cut shift-planning time for managers by more than half. Executives describe the impact as transformational when intuitive tools reach millions of associates.
Action for suppliers: Make floor-ready packaging and labeling a priority. When store teams follow AI-directed tasks, every extra step slows execution. Case packs that move quickly from truck to shelf will fit seamlessly into these new workflows.
Drone Delivery at Scale
Walmart is now the first U.S. retailer to scale drone delivery across five states, adding operations in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa. The service, now live at one hundred stores, builds on existing operations in Arkansas and Dallas–Fort Worth. Since 2021, Walmart has completed more than 150,000 drone deliveries, positioning the service as part of its core convenience strategy.
Action for suppliers: Review packaging and pack sizes for drone eligibility. Design “urgent need” bundles such as baby care, pet care, or small meal kits that fit drone limits on weight and size.
Answering “What’s for Dinner?”
Walmart has also launched Dinner Tonight, a shoppable solution that routes customers to one-click baskets and recipe hubs for fast meal planning. This platform is designed for busy households who often decide dinner plans late in the day, converting indecision into completed baskets.
Action for suppliers: Develop shoppable bundles tied to occasions and seasonality. Tag dietary attributes and provide recipe content so Walmart’s systems can offer substitutions when an item is out of stock.
Weekend Academy and the Next Generation
Walmart introduced Weekend Academy, a tween private-label brand with most items priced under fifteen dollars. The assortment is designed to connect with younger shoppers and their parents while reinforcing Walmart’s value leadership in apparel.
Action for suppliers: Ensure PDPs for youth-focused items highlight fit, size charts, and care details. Use lifestyle photography that parents and younger shoppers find relatable, since this content can influence both engagement and returns.
The Numbers Tell the Story
In its second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings, Walmart reported U.S. eCommerce sales up twenty-six percent year over year, led by store-fulfilled delivery, advertising, and marketplace growth. That growth underscores why investments in AI readiness, speed of fulfillment, and digital content quality are essential.
Key Moves for Walmart Suppliers
- Optimize product data for AI-driven discovery.
- Design packaging with drone and express delivery in mind.
- Contribute meal-ready solutions with substitutions built in.
- Supply floor-ready cases to support AI tasking in stores.
- Refresh digital content to match Walmart’s “Who knew?” campaign energy.
- Target younger households with accurate sizing and relatable imagery.
Why It Matters
Walmart is showing how technology can make shopping faster and easier for customers and associates alike. For suppliers, the message is straightforward. Products need to be structured for AI, built for speed in fulfillment, and presented in ways that connect to changing demographics. Brands that adapt now will benefit as Walmart expands the reach of these innovations.
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