Walmart Testing Contactless Auto Service

Walmart (Bentonville, Ark.) is trying out a high-tech auto service at 10 of its stores. The mega-retailer has taken the wraps off its Auto Care Centers (ACCs) of the Future, with the first of those locations now open in Fayetteville, Ark.

The new ACCs seek to modernize Walmart’s auto services by blending in-store expertise with digital convenience, featuring a contactless service model that lets customers schedule, check in and track their car’s progress through the Walmart app, the company said in a news release.

“We’ve built Auto Care Centers around value and convenience,” said Corey Bender, SVP, Hardlines, Walmart U.S. “By adding new technology, we’re giving customers the same trusted service — now with a seamless experience that fits their lifestyles.”

Here’s how it works:

• Customers sign into the Walmart app, navigate to “Services,” click “Auto Services” and schedule their desired service.
• At the designated appointment time, customers pull into a parking spot near the ACC and check in on the app.
• Customers then enter the center and follow the instructions in the app to unlock an assigned locker to drop their keys into.
• Customers get live updates of their car’s progress through the app, and can then pick up their keys and pay once their vehicle is ready.

Walmart opened its first Auto Care Center in Claremore, Okla., in 1979, and since then has expanded the service to nearly 2600 of its Supercenters across the U.S.