Walmart CEO John Furner officially stated that the company will not implement dynamic pricing based on individual customer data. In a letter to shoppers, he clarified that the transition to digital shelf labels is designed to optimize store operations and save time for employees rather than to adjust costs in real time.
The company explicitly confirmed that factors such as shopping history, income levels, urgency, or the time of day will not influence product pricing. Additionally, Walmart will not utilize data from interactions with its Sparky AI assistant to modify price tags for consumers.
This announcement follows the company's earlier plan to install digital shelf labels across all US locations by the end of this year. The initiative previously raised concerns regarding potential algorithmic price changes, which are currently under scrutiny by the Federal Trade Commission.
Several US states have already introduced legislative measures to regulate or prohibit algorithmic pricing. New York now mandates that retailers disclose the use of such systems, while New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland have moved to ban the use of personal data for price adjustments.
