Walmart CEO pledges not to personalize prices

Walmart CEO John Furner says the retailer will not use personal information, a customer’s identity or the time of day to set individual prices, including through its Sparky artificial-intelligence shopping assistant. His pledge comes as Walmart expands digital shelf labels that allow stores to update prices electronically. In a statement on Walmart’s website, Furner said the company does not base prices on a shopper’s income, purchase history or willingness to pay, and will not do so. He also said Sparky will not use personal information or customer interactions to raise an individual’s price or conceal lower-priced products that match the shopper’s needs. The assurance is Walmart’s account of its own practices; the reports provide no independent audit or pricing data to verify how the company’s systems operate. Furner linked the pledge to Walmart’s everyday low prices business model. The commitment does not mean prices will remain fixed. Furner said the retailer may lower prices when it can pass savings on to customers, and raise them when sourcing or transportation costs increase.