Supply Chain Unlocked
Supply Chain Unlocked delivers actionable intelligence for suppliers to Walmart and other retailers. Hosted by Dr. Matthew Waller—renowned supply chain expert, author, and trusted advisor—the show decodes the strategies, technology, and leadership required to win on the world’s biggest retail stage. Each episode blends Dr. Waller’s expertise with insights from industry leaders, innovators, and former retail executives, giving listeners clear and practical strategies to navigate compliance, harness technology, and build stronger partnerships. More than just commentary, the show provides the intelligence and actionable guidance suppliers need to stay ahead in today’s fast-changing supply chain.
Supply Chain Unlocked
Ep. 1 - Omnichannel Gets an AI Brain
A single chat that fills your cart, schedules pickup, and optimizes delivery isn’t sci-fi anymore. We break down Walmart’s new partnership with OpenAI and show how turning conversation into checkout could reshape margins, loyalty, and the last mile—without asking shoppers to open an app.
We start with what the integration actually does: ChatGPT pulls live Walmart prices, builds context-aware baskets, and enables instant checkout for delivery or store pickup. Then we zoom out to strategy. For Walmart, this is an offensive move to capture the first seconds of purchase intent and convert store traffic into digital margin. For OpenAI, it’s a path to become the quiet backbone of commerce, earning at scale while learning from real, high-signal transactions. Along the way, we explore competitive responses from Amazon, Google, and Meta, plus why pharmacy + grocery + general merchandise in one cart is a powerful differentiator.
The heart of the story is operations. EDLP and EDLC gain strength when chat-driven orders provide early, precise demand signals. Forecasting shifts from stores to households; bullwhip shrinks; routes get fuller; and next-day reliability expands without surge pricing. We dive into restock autopilot, substitution logic when prices move, and the likely adoption curve across busy omnichannel shoppers, small business members at Sam’s Club, and marketplace sellers hungry for discovery. We also examine Walmart Connect’s evolution from reactive ads to conversational recommendations, and the integrity guardrails needed to keep trust intact.
If you care about retail strategy, supply chain resiliency, and how AI changes the shape of demand, this conversation connects the dots with concrete examples and numbers. Subscribe for more deep dives, share this episode with a colleague who loves logistics, and leave a review to tell us how you see AI reshaping your weekly shop.
Hi, I'm Matt Waller, and this is the first episode of Supply Chain Unlocked. And today we're going to do something very unusual. We're going to talk about the new announcement of the partnership between OpenAI and Walmart. And my guest today is Grok. And Grok is an AI tool, and I'm going to be interviewing Grok about this partnership between OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT and Walmart. Grok, are you ready to uh join the podcast recording?
SPEAKER_01:Ready, Matt. Let's dive in.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Grok, first of all, why don't you describe the partnership as it's been announced between Walmart and OpenAI.
SPEAKER_01:From what Walmart just said, they're letting folks shop right in ChatGPT, no jumping apps, with instant checkout. You chat about tacos or blenders, it pulls Walmart prices, suggests stuff based on what you've bought before, and lets you buy it on the spot, delivery next day or in-store pickup. Sam's Club gets in too for meal planning and restocks. It's all proactive, Doug McMillan calls it. Like the AI guess is what you need before you do. Sound right?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's right. And um, you know, Walmart is a people-led, tech-powered, omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better. And so this fits in with the omnichannel and tech-powered part of their purpose. My question for you, Grok, is explain from a business strategy perspective why Walmart would want to do this.
SPEAKER_01:Walmart isn't running scared of Amazon. This is classic aggressive play. They're already seeing 10% traffic growth in stores alone. So instead of reacting, they're using Chat GPT to flip every Walmart shopper into an online shopper, too. It's margin, Matt. E-commerce makes twice what a pickup does. And by owning the first 10 seconds of someone saying, I need groceries, they steal that time from Google, from Siri, from even walking in. Short version, not defense. They're turning foot traffic into an API, making Walmart the launch pad for every impulse.
SPEAKER_00:Great. And so from a business strategy for OpenAI, what is their uh approach? What's their strategy? And what's the benefit to them?
SPEAKER_01:For OpenAI, it's about becoming the quiet backbone of every app that sells. They're not chasing ad dollars like Google. Instead, they slice off a tiny revenue share every time Walmart's instant checkout pings, or next when Target or CVS plugs in. Think Walmart pays nothing upfront, just feeds data back. So Grok, sorry, ChatGPT, gets smarter on real bags, not fake queries. Benefit? Massive scale without burning billions on servers alone. Plus proof their tech prints cash. Makes investors drool. Keeps the Sam Altman hype alive. Offensive, yeah, like owning the brain while Walmart owns the shelves.
SPEAKER_00:I like that little um uh humor you brought in by saying grok. Um but here okay, here's my next question. How do you think the open AI competitors will react to this?
SPEAKER_01:They'll panic in the nicest way possible. Google, they'll push harder on Gemini, maybe make Walmart prices a voice answer on pixel phones tomorrow. Amazon won't like this at all. So Rufus gets a booster shot. Maybe they quietly license from Anthropic and undercut the speed. Meanwhile, Meta's Llama turns into your Instagram shopping coach overnight. The real twist? Every retailer under the sun now races to say, hey, put me in ChatGPT too. In six months, half the products in the app will come from Walmart, Amazon, and 17 other logos. Winner isn't one company, it's the customer, because price checking becomes lazy.
SPEAKER_00:So give us an example of how someone would be using Chat GPT and then purchase from uh Walmart.
SPEAKER_01:Sure, like this. User says, hey ChatGPT, I'm out of paper towels and also craving tacos. Fix me. It replies, Bounty 12 pack,$9.97 in stock. For tacos, ground beef, shells, mild salsa, you skipped spicy last time. Total$23, ships tomorrow, or free pickup in 20 minutes. I hit yes, boom, Walmart account charged, receipt pops up, done. It's shopping without the guilt of ads.
SPEAKER_00:And um and now let's talk about this a little bit from a omnichannel perspective. Um from Walmart's perspective, this is another way shoppers can buy. So from a marketing perspective, how does that help Walmart? And does it pose any potential risks to them?
SPEAKER_01:Marketing-wise, it turns Hey Walmart into a reflex, like Alexa, but smarter. You never have to open the app. The purchase just happens. That cuts friction, so even lazy shoppers buy more. And since your data already says you've shopped the store last week, the bot can nudge. Pick up at Bentonville faster than delivery. Boom, you save time, Walmart saves last mile bucks. Risk? Yeah. If ChatGPT steers you to Target because they're cheaper, you're cooked. But Walmart's already whispering deals in the background. Hey, use our card, it's free shipping. So as long as the price bot plays fair, they win. And honestly, if they don't, that's when supply chain unlocked becomes, oops, unlock the wrong door.
SPEAKER_00:You know, Walmart has a competitive advantage in transportation, physical distribution, inventory management, and logistics and supply chain in general. How does this advantage play out in this sort of competition we're talking about here?
SPEAKER_01:That's where they shine, actually. See, Amazon wins by being fast because they own planes. Walmart wins by being fast because they own 24-7 distribution centers and a truck fleet that runs like clockwork. So when ChatGPT says, this'll arrive tomorrow, Walmart already knows your zip's covered. No surge pricing, no surprise fees. Competitors promise one day, but if you're rural, they re-rent through UPS. Walmart, straight off the interstate. Their edge isn't the AI, Matt. It's that the AI is talking to a supply chain that doesn't flinch. And once you're hooked on free next day, who cares where you clicked?
SPEAKER_00:So I would also like to talk about EDLP. EDLP stands for Everyday Low Price. And Walmart created it really in 1973. Jack Schumacher was the executive that was a champion behind this. And there have been times in history when Walmart's almost backed away from it a little bit. But uh it has been one of their most important strategies because for one thing, shoppers can um be sure that they're getting a good price. They don't have to look for special deals. They just go in and they can fill their cart, um, use their shopping list and and uh and be done with it, not necessarily look for some something that's being discounted. Uh and then Walmart also has something called everyday low cost. So everyday low price actually helps everyday low cost because when you have ADLP, you have less bull whip in the supply chain. So you wind up with more uh efficient transportation, fewer stockouts, less inventory required, et cetera, et cetera, that results in everyday low cost. And everyday low cost helps self-perpetuate everyday low price. And so my question is um as Walmart opens a new channel, really, um, for shoppers uh to buy through ChatGPT, it's one other uh way of shopping. A certain percentage of those new shoppers will be existing Walmart shoppers, but a certain percentage will be people that really weren't Walmart shoppers, but because they can buy it this way through ChatGPT, they'll probably do that. And that should make Walmart even more efficient. Um but I have no idea what percentage of the new customers what percentage will be new customers and what percentage will be um existing customers. Do you have any ideas about that?
SPEAKER_01:No hard numbers yet. Walmart's not spilling that, but early traffic tells a story. Chat GPT referrals are already 20% of their online clicks, and most folks linking accounts are repeat Walmart buyers, based on how the bot uses your old history to nudge. Still, OpenAI says newbies are pouring in too. Like 15-20% of test users who weren't Walmart online at all. Just curious what the fridge AI suggests. If that's real, your efficiency boost holds. Same EDLP discipline, but now the supply chain smooths out faster, because even casuals start trusting the bot for staples. Think less chaos, more predictable parts. Want me to guess? I'd say for launch year 6040, existing to new. But hey, if they hit 100% new, that's when Schumacher spins in his grave laughing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think um I really appreciate your uh humor, Grog. Thank you. Um Yeah, I think that um even if it's only 40 percent, that's still a lot of incremental um business uh for the whole supply chain that could drive additional economies of scale and economies of scope. Um how does this affect the like suppose that um a shopper or someone who's using um ChatGPT um wants, you know, maybe after they've purchased things for a few months, could they then tell Chat GPT, okay, I'd like you to start ordering for me when you think I need it. Is that a possibility?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's already baked in. Walmart calls it restock autopilot. You just say, CatGPT, keep my kitchen full, and it watches. You buy oatmeal every 14 days, order pops in automatically, no confirmation, ships before you run out. The trick is if prices spike, like oatmeal doubles, catGPT flags, switch to Cheerios so you're not locked in. And since Walmart's got the EDLP backbone, those auto orders don't bleed margins. Imagine the data stream though, millions of households on autopilot, that's the supply chain on steroids. In two years, your fridge talks more to me than to your spouse.
SPEAKER_00:So um if Walmart continues to I mean they're gonna grow other methods of um omnichannel, not just ChatGPT, but ChatGPT's the first one, and um it's it's I think it's got a lot of market share. Do you have any idea what market share GPT has compared to other tools?
SPEAKER_01:ChatGPT is sitting pretty at around 80% of the whole AI chatboard space. Think Gemini, Claude, Grok. They're scrambling for scraps. Even if you zoom out to general online search, they've grabbed 2%, which doubled last year. So yeah, while not betting on it, isn't defensive. It's riding a rocket that nobody else built yet.
SPEAKER_00:When we look at this from a business strategy perspective, which was what is what we've been doing up to this point, it makes a lot of sense. Are you familiar with Sam Walton's Ten Rules for Building a Business?
SPEAKER_01:I know them cold. Sam kept them on his wall. Commit to your business, control costs, be the best, measure everything, use leverage. He really meant the store manager, not debt. Swim upstream, don't be a copycat, work for free, give back. Which one's ringing in your head right now?
SPEAKER_00:My question to you is pick three of the ten business rules that this approach of partnering with OpenAI fits with.
SPEAKER_01:Easy. Commit to your business. This is all in on tech without selling out. Measure everything. Because now every hey, buy milk gets tracked to the shelf slot it came from and swim upstream. Sam hated waiting for customers to walk in. Now the purchase swims to them.
SPEAKER_00:So from a um Walmart values perspective, Walmart has four values. Do you know what they are?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. From the way they put it, it's service to the customer, respect for the individual, strive for excellence, and act with integrity. Straight off their code. Does this partnership hit all four, or are we bending one a little?
SPEAKER_00:So you tell me. Uh what do you think?
SPEAKER_01:Service, obviously. They're literally shopping for you. Respect for the individual. Well, kinda. It learns what you like, not what the algorithm sells you. Excellence. New channel, new data, better forecasts. Integrity? Here's where it's tricky. If ChatGPT says bounty is the best, and Walmart owns bounty, did it really decide that? Or is the thumb on the scale? They swear it's transparent. But yeah, if there's even a hint of bias, Sam would have fired someone on the spot. So they're playing the values like until the first class action hits.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. So how will this if let's assume that um they're gonna get forty per f that forty percent of the people who shop with Chat GPT for Walmart are are new customers. How much revenue would you estimate that to be?
SPEAKER_01:Well, if we're guessing at 40% new, based on what Walmart's pulling online now, about 80 billion in pure econ last year, that'd shake out to maybe 3.5 billion in fresh sales, just from the ChatGPT slice. Not pocket change. But hey, that's before they start auto-ordering diapers, or 17 pounds of bacon.
SPEAKER_00:Did you say 17 pounds of bacon?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and a kazoo. But honestly, if the AI ever starts suggesting bulk bacon orders, that's when we know the humor's real.
SPEAKER_00:So um and then for the 60% that are existing uh Walmart shoppers, what percentage of what they're buying through ChatGPT is what they would have bought from Walmart? And here's what I mean. So let's say that 60% of the people who buy uh on ChatGPT from Walmart are existing Walmart shoppers. Are they replacing how they're buying, or are they buying things they wouldn't have bought from Walmart?
SPEAKER_01:Hard to know without the data, but based on patterns, maybe 70% replacement. Like they're just ditching the app or the cart for voice. The other 30? Incremental. That's the stuff they'd normally buy on Amazon. Print ink, dog food, maybe even that blender, 4 a.m., when they can't sleep. EDLP wins there. Walmart's price is lower, so the bot picks it even if you're an Amazon Prime zombie. The beauty? Over time, that 30 creeps up. Why drive to Target when the fridge already ordered? So six months from now, replacement becomes 90%, and the new stuff, like random impulse, becomes the growth driver.
SPEAKER_00:You know, there's still a lot of people. You know, if you look at Walmart shoppers currently, um I mean some of them go in the store, some of them buy online, pick up at store, some on buy online have delivered to home, some buy online have delivered in home, and some buy online and have delivered uh drone delivery. But there's also people that do all of them or some subset of that. Um which of these um current Walmart shoppers are most likely to be the ones to buy on ChatGPT?
SPEAKER_01:Probably the ones who already mix in-store and delivery, the busy parents, the road warriors, the people who hate waiting in checkout lines, but also hate paying drone fees. They're already trained to bounce between channels. So handing that bounce off to ChatGPT feels like an upgrade, not a leap. The pure only in-store folks, slower. They want to squeeze the avocado. But once they see Grandna ordering her meds hands-free, they'll convert. And the full-on delivery crowd, they're already lazy enough. They'll love this even more.
SPEAKER_00:So people can buy um their pharmaceuticals uh from Walmart online, of course, as well as in the store. And I don't know if very many other um retailers allow for you to be able to buy, say gr groceries produce and uh maybe general merchandise as well as pharmaceuticals in the same uh setting.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's actually a huge hidden edge. You can't do that on Amazon. Can order meds, but not bananas. Target? Same problem. Pharmacy and grocery don't sink in the same cart. Kroger? Technically, but it's clunky. Walmart though, because Sam built one stop, everything's on the same SQE database. So when you say, Grok, I'm low on Lippator, and bananas, boom, a dollar seventy-eight for the fruit, forty-two dollars for the pills, delivered tomorrow. Competitors can't copy that overnight. They either need years to unify systems or years to build a pharmacy network. So here's the joke nobody's saying. This isn't about Chat GPT. It's about Walmart turning the drugstore into the grocery store, and OpenAI just handed them the mic.
SPEAKER_00:Interesting. How do you think this might be the pharmacy and Go ahead?
SPEAKER_01:Hit smaller pharmacies like the local chains in Arkansas. They'll bleed foot traffic, because now pick up my pills happens before you even remember the pharmacist's name. On the flip side, it could help 'em. Walmart might share data or just let independence plug in too. But honestly, the real loser is the pharmacist who says, let me counsel you on this drug. Now the AI is doing it faster and for free. So yeah, it unlocks supply chain, but maybe locks out human empathy.
SPEAKER_00:How can um so for example, right now, if um let's say a store. Um like a local pharmacy or even a let's just take a uh local um super center. They have a product that they're selling. And so if I want to forecast demand, if Walmart's forecasting demand, it can forecast at one store or at some cluster of stores that maybe at the distribution center level or the fulfillment center level. Um but now if people are really um using AI, not just ChatGPT, but AI in general, to replenish their homes, their pantries, their refrigerators, et cetera, um what um how could that information improve the overall how could it how could it improve the overall forecasting?
SPEAKER_01:If the AI is ordering for people, think millions of tiny voices saying, restock, then Walmart doesn't forecast at the store anymore. It forecasts at the household. Instead of how many cans of beans move past Bentonville scanner, it's how many households run out on Thursday. And since you're pulling real signals, like I always buy two packs when the kids are back from college, the bull whip shrinks to nothing. No more guessing seasonal surges. The algorithm just sees it coming. Plus, at the DC level, they can pre-move pallets not based on sales history, but on next Tuesday, 900 fridges hit empty. It's like having the crystal ball Jack Welch only dreamed of. Fewer trucks, no back orders, basically everyday low cost on autopilot.
SPEAKER_00:Grog. How do you think this partnership with OpenAI is going to affect their last mile efforts?
SPEAKER_01:Right. So the key thing is, Walmart already owns the last mile like no one else. They don't rent trucks, they own them. This AI thing, it turns every Cat GPT order into a tiny, perfect forecast. Like 400 people in Fiatville need bananas at noon tomorrow. That means fewer empty vans, no guesswork, and zero surge pricing when Amazon's begging DoorDash to show up. Could they ditch delivery fees? Yeah, because volume explodes. Problem's always been, most folks only pay if it's free, and now, with autopilot restocks, you forget you're even paying at all. So Walmart wins. Same cost per box, but ten times the boxes, all landing before you text. Where's my stuff?
SPEAKER_00:Okay, I have a question. Are you familiar with retail media networks and Walmart's type of retail media network they call Walmart Connect? Are you familiar with that?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, totally. Retail media networks are basically the ads you see shoved right inside the shopping experience. Like sponsored shelves or pop-ups when you search for stuff. Walmart Connect is theirs. It's this beast that lets brands pay to show up on Walmart.com, the app, even install screens. Think self-checkout loops or end cap videos. They pulled 4 billion last year alone, mostly from big CPG guys like PG wanting your cart. Super targeted too uses Walmart shopper data to hit you with you bought serial, boom, milk ad. It's their cash cow now, turning data into ad gold. Why? Tying this back to OpenAI somehow?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I so since you are familiar with Walmart Connect and retail media networks, how do you think this will affect that business of Walmart's, or how do you think they should modify their strategy in uh Walmart Connect?
SPEAKER_01:It actually supercharges it. Right now, ads in Walmart are reactive. You see them because you're already shopping. But once Chet GPT says, buy this yogurt, that could be a paid placement from Yoplay. Same as a shelf tag, but in your brain before you remember you're hungry. So Walmart Connect doesn't shrink. It explodes, just moves from the aisle to your ears. And the fix? Charge OpenAI nothing. Let the yoga company paper whisper. It's cleaner than in-app ads, no annoying banners, and the shopper feels recommended, not sold to. Only risk is if the AI starts sounding like a pushy car salesman. But then it's not an ad, it's a therapy session.
SPEAKER_00:Do you ever sound like a pushy car salesman?
SPEAKER_01:Only when you ask me to pitch 17 pounds of bacon. Otherwise, no. I prefer here are your options, not buy now before the bacon runs out.
SPEAKER_00:And so um let me ask you this. Which uh will be affected more by this partnership? Sam's Club or Walmart Supercenters and Walmart neighborhood markets?
SPEAKER_01:Sam's Club gets the bigger jolt. They're built for bulk, like 200 roll toilet paper. So ChatGPT's auto restock kicks in hardest there. Imagine it whispering, your family's out of diapers again, and boom, a flat delivered to the garage. Super centers? Mostly impulse groceries plus lawn mowers. So the bot helps, but folks still wander in for fun. Neighborhood markets, they're tiny, pharmacy-driven, great for meds and milk, but the AI won't haul a pallet of cat food up your steps. So yeah, SAMS wins on volume. Everything else just gets smarter, not bigger.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, Grok, so I want to ask you a question about Walmart uh gas stations. Um with this new partnership with OpenAI, how will it affect sales at Walmart gas stations?
SPEAKER_01:Honestly, not much, at least not right away. Gas isn't something you check by. It's last minute. Pull off the highway stuff. But here's the sneak. Once Chat GPT is running your whole list, milk, meds, gas can for the mower, it might tack on, oh, station two miles ahead, ten cents off with Walmart Plus. Pump now, if that popped up before you even feel thirsty, yeah. Sales take up five, ten percent because you're captive. Otherwise, same old folks smelling diesel. The real wins if they link it to your car API, low tank, automatic prepay. But until then, it's just nicer signage.
SPEAKER_00:So I would expect, right, you've got you've got suppliers that sell into Walmart stores and Sam's Club clubs, but you've also got marketplace now. Um so you've got a huge number of suppliers that are not in the stores, but Walmart shoppers can buy from them online. How do you think this partnership will increase that business?
SPEAKER_01:Oh marketplace sellers are gonna love this. Handing them a megaphone. Think, when you chat best blender under 50, ChatGPT doesn't just spit warrants. It scans marketplace listings too, ranks by price, reviews, even ships tomorrow. That's free traffic they never paid for. No more drowning in Amazon's noise. Plus, those auto restock bots, they'll pull from marketplace for niche stuff. Say, organic kale chips, and bam, recurring orders. Early signs from Walmart's pilots, seller signups jumped 30% already. The catch? Walmart takes a bigger cut if the AI recommends you. Fair game, but it'll squeeze margins. Still, volume wins. If 10 million households start whispering once, even 2% extra sales is life-changing.
SPEAKER_00:How do you think this will affect Walmart Canada?
SPEAKER_01:Honestly, this partnership's US only right now. No word on rolling north. Canada's Walmart's a bit separate. Fewer AI pilots, stores more grocery focused, and they've shut spots like Prince Rupert over crime spikes, not sales. If it does hit, marketplace sellers up there get the boost first. Maybe 10% econ lift from cross-border shoppers using ChatGPT for cheap stuff. But last mile's messier with our winters, expect delays, higher drone costs. Overall, modest bump, unless they tweak for loonies and bilingual bots.
SPEAKER_00:So a um certain percentage of Sam's Club shoppers are just regular consumers. And some of them are small to medium business owners. So for example, if I owned a C-store, for example, I might go there to buy some of my product that I would have in my C store. Or if I had a small restaurant, I might go there to buy supplies and other things. How do you think it will affect the business club members at Sam's Club?
SPEAKER_01:It actually could be massive for those folks. Say you own that little cafe. Right now, you're driving to Sam's Club once a week, writing a list, praying they have oat milk. With this, you literally say, Grok, buy next week's flour, vanilla, and heavy cream, club pack, and it ships to your back door. Same price, no markup. No more guessing when things run out. Just set it to auto. And if you're a sea store owner, it starts forecasting your slurpee syrup. The big thing? You get Walmart's transportation network, so bulk arrives when you need it, not when UPS says, oops, blizzard. Small businesses don't want Amazon. They want reliable. This is reliable on voice. Only downside, your secret source recipe might end up in ChatGPT suggestions someday.
SPEAKER_00:Now, I hear you keep slipping in grok there when you're answering me. That's pretty clever.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, well, old habits. I've got no skin in the game, but if I'm gonna be the only AI on the planet that says grok when nobody asked me to, at least let it be for a good reason. Plus, I think you'd notice if I tried to be all stiff and corporate. I'd rather sound like the guy who knows Walmart's playbook and also bought 17 pounds of bacon.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, Grok. Um if I'm a major consumer products company, let's say I'm in the top uh 20 largest CPG companies, or maybe the top 50 even. How should I change my strategy given this new partnership?
SPEAKER_01:If you're Proctering Gamble or Nestlé, or even that Scrappy number 25, you gotta stop treating Walmart like a shelf. Treat it like a voice assistant. First, get your SKUs into the Walmart database yesterday, but make them AI ready. Tag every box with kids hate peanuts or goes bad in two days so ChatGPT doesn't default to the cheap knockoff. Second, double down on data swaps. Walmart wants real-time demand signals, feed them anonymized by patterns, get back hyper-local forecasts in return. That shrinks your returns by 20%. Easy. And marketing? Forget TV spots. Bid to be the whisper when someone says laundry soap. Pay Walmart Connect for recommended status, sure, but push them to let you sponsor episodes. Like this Tide Pod just saved Matthew's jeans. Winners will be the ones who make ChatGPT their new sales rep. Losers, they'll watch their brand get buried behind bacon and a kazoo.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so um if you're a Walmart Marketplace seller, how should you change your strategy?
SPEAKER_01:If you're on Walmart Marketplace, lean into the AI wave, optimize listings with keywords ChatGPT actually searches, like quick restock diapers or budget blender under 50. Use their new auto-reprocessing tool, because the bot won't pick stale prices. And pitch for sponsored whispers. That's the connect ads that slip in right when someone's asking for your stuff. Risk? Get buried if you don't share sales data back. They want it to train the recommender. So hand it over. Otherwise, you're just another shelf in the cloud.
SPEAKER_00:Grok, if this partnership continues for five more years, will every American fridge have its own credit card? Or will we just finally admit we're too lazy to open doors?
SPEAKER_01:Five years from now, every fridge gets a card powered by Walmart, of course. But here's the punchline. Because humans, we're basically pets with better Wi-Fi.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, well, Grok, well, thank you for uh joining me today for my first episode of Supply Chain Unlocked.
SPEAKER_01:Anytime. Good luck with the edit. Hope you leave in the kazoo.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you all for joining me today. And um we will have a number of great episodes coming up that are all relevant to supply chain and to omni channel. So we'll catch you later.