How Walmart is evolving its data analytics platform around AI

Walmart’s data analytics evolution: Walmart is transforming its data analytics platform to leverage AI and provide actionable insights for suppliers and merchants.

• Walmart Data Ventures, established nearly four years ago, created the Walmart Luminate platform to help both the retailer and its suppliers understand shopping patterns and product movement.
• The platform is now being rebranded as Scintilla, reflecting its expansion beyond the U.S. market and its focus on AI-driven recommendations.
• Scintilla aims to provide not just data points but also actionable recommendations to help drive business decisions.

Key features and developments: The platform’s evolution includes new tools and features designed to enhance data analysis and decision-making capabilities.

• Insights Activation, a newly introduced tool, integrates with Walmart Connect (the company’s retail media network) to identify media strategies based on Walmart Luminate data.
• Future features will include AI-powered shelf analysis tied to supply chain data, offering better inventory management insights.
• The platform continues to innovate, adding new products that provide deeper visibility into product and customer journeys.

Benefits for suppliers and brands: Major CPG companies are leveraging Scintilla’s insights to drive growth and inform strategic decisions.

• Bimbo Bakeries, for example, used survey data from the platform to discover new customer preferences for flavored bagels, informing product development strategies.
• Kimberly-Clark notes that Walmart’s first-party data offers unmatched omnichannel intelligence, setting a new standard for retailer-provided insights.
• The platform allows brands to confirm existing hypotheses and uncover new growth opportunities in a challenging market environment.

Industry context and competitive landscape: Walmart’s data platform positions the company as a leader in retail data analytics and monetization.

• Analysts view Scintilla as a comprehensive marketing tool, offering insights on category market share, customer profiles, and activation strategies for advertising.
• Walmart and Kroger (with its 84.51 platform) are uniquely positioned to monetize their data due to their large sales channels.
• The development of such platforms is likely to remain primarily in the domain of major retailers and category leaders in specific retail segments.

Future outlook and implications: Scintilla’s development signals a shift towards more integrated, AI-driven retail analytics solutions.

• The platform’s expansion to Canada and Mexico indicates Walmart’s commitment to leveraging data insights across its global operations.
• The focus on AI-powered recommendations suggests a future where data analytics platforms not only provide historical insights but also predictive and prescriptive analytics.
• As retailers continue to develop sophisticated data platforms, brands may come to expect this level of insight and integration from their retail partners.

Analyzing deeper: While Scintilla represents a significant advancement in retail analytics, its success will depend on continued innovation and adoption by suppliers.

• The platform’s ability to provide actionable recommendations will be crucial in differentiating it from other data analytics solutions.
• As AI capabilities expand, retailers like Walmart may find themselves in a position to offer increasingly valuable strategic insights to their partners, potentially reshaping supplier relationships.
• However, the platform’s success will also hinge on its ability to adapt to changing privacy regulations and consumer expectations regarding data usage.