Walmart has unveiled a pair of new AI-powered tools which it said will help shoppers search for products and re-order items.

At the CES conference in Las Vegas, the company launched a new GenAI search tool which combines AI models from Microsoft with shopper data from Walmart which will allow users to search for products using specific cases instead of just by brand name or item.

The company gave an example of searching for a football watch party, which would provide a range of relevant, cross-category results for products ranging from chips, wings and drinks to a 90-inch TV.

The feature is now available to users on Apple iOS devices, and will be rolled out to Walmart’s website and Android app later this year.

The other AI-powered tool unveiled by the US retail giant is current;y in development and is dubbed “Walmart InHome Replenishment”. Walmart said that this tech uses AI and the company’s “decades of replenishment expertise” to provide subscribers to its inHome delivery service to quickly populate shopping carts with frequently ordered products.

Walmart also announced the expanded availability of its My Assistant in-house AI tool to 11 countries, while also launching a service that would eliminate the need for Sam’s Club shoppers to get their receipts verified.

Walmart boss Doug McMillon said: “We build technology to serve people and not the other way around. Walmart’s purpose is to help people live better and, today, more than ever, advances in technology make it feel like anything is possible.

“Our technology roadmap is compelling and we’re very excited about it, but we’re clear that we are a people-led, tech-powered company. People, our customers and associates, come first and we’ll put technology to work to serve them better than ever.”

At CES the company also launched a beta social commerce platform called Shop with Friends that uses augmented reality (AR) to enable customers to share the virtual outfits they create with friends.

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