Wal-Mart to begin rolling out in-store network

Wal-Mart will begin rolling out an in-store digital network later this month to 2,700stores. The retailer anticipates that the chain-wide deployment of 27,000 screens and its new Wal-Mart Smart Network will be completed by early 2010.

The network is the result of two years and $10 million of research and development by the retail giant to identify the best locations, applications and programming to reach its millions of weekly customers. It is supported by a flexible, open enterprise platform powered by Internet protocol television, allowing Wal-Mart to monitor and control the network screens.

The network will also use response management and message optimization technologies from DS-IQ to enable delivery of relevant content to shoppers by store, by screen, by day and by time of day.

“We've built a network tailored to the way consumers shop our stores — delivering helpful, custom, content closest to the point of decision — that helps them shop smarter,” said Stephen Quinn, CMO of Wal-Mart Stores US, in a statement.

The screens will be located near the entrance of Wal-Mart Supercenters, in grocery, health & beauty and electronics departments and on endcap displays.