Walmart CEO Vows Never to Use Customer Data for Personalized Pricing

Walmart has made a firm promise not to use customer data for personalized pricing. CEO John Furner stated clearly that the company will never do it.

In a letter released Friday, Furner doubled down on the retailer's decades-old strategy of offering Every Day Low Prices. He emphasized that they price the product, not the person.

"I've heard concerns about companies using that information and technology to charge you more," Furner said in the message. "I want to tell you where we stand: We price the product, not the person."

Furner acknowledged that prices might shift when costs for goods or transportation change. However, he stressed that Walmart will ignore a customer's income, shopping history, urgency, or other personal details when setting those numbers.

"We won't do it," Furner declared. "YOU are at the heart of our WHY and our relationship with you has always been built on trust." He noted that associates have earned this trust through countless interactions over many years.

"So, as technology improves, we're putting the same attention on trust and serving you as we do when you walk into our stores and clubs," he added.

The CEO also explained the rollout of digital shelf labels. This tech aims to fix price accuracy and cut down the time employees spend swapping paper tags. "A shelf price should match what rings up at checkout," Furner said. "Digital shelf labels help us do that more consistently by displaying the right price." They also save associates time replacing old tags.

"It may sound like an easy task – but as someone who has had to change those paper tags by hand over the years, I can tell you it's a time-consuming and unrewarding task," he admitted.

Furner outlined Walmart's plans for artificial intelligence, including its new shopping assistant named Sparky. The tool is designed to offer better help, not to manipulate prices based on who buys what. "When you engage with Sparky, that's an invitation to serve you better, not to use your personal information to set a personalized price," he said. He insisted they have never used human relationships to charge more and will not let AI change that rule.

Walmart is making three specific commitments now. First, they will not set different prices based on who a customer is or the time of day. Second, they will not use data shared through Sparky to raise prices or hide cheaper options. Third, they will keep giving customers control over how their personal information gets used.

"Our people will continue to oversee pricing, and we'll monitor and test our technology against these commitments," Furner said. He wants shoppers to know that human oversight remains central.

If there is one thing he hopes readers take away from this note, it is the value placed on trust. Technology keeps changing at a fast pace. But their responsibility to earn your trust and help you save money will not change.