Walmart Pass
A Walmart customer walks into a store, fills their cart, checks out, and walks out. Walmart has no idea it was them. No profile linked, no loyalty tracked, no purchase history captured. That accounts for 40% of all in-store transactions.
Walmart Pass is a universal QR identity platform designed to close that gap: a single scan that connects any Walmart account holder to their profile at any register, regardless of how they pay.
Understanding the challenge
The Problem
240M+ weekly customers, but a huge portion of in-store transactions are anonymous. No profile, no loyalty, no purchase history.
The Opportunity
Redesign Walmart Pay from end to end, enabling 100% of in-store customers to identify themselves at any register, regardless of how they pay.
Walmart Pay
Walmart Pay works at self-checkout only, for payment only. No pre-identification, no loyalty, no broader services.
One transaction type, one touchpoint. Cash customers, assisted checkout, and other services have zero digital identity.
- Only available at self-checkout. No assisted checkout support
- Payment-only. No connection to loyalty, rewards, or returns
- No pre-identification—customers must complete setup each time
- Security concerns with exposed payment information on screen
What is Walmart Pass?
One scan to self-identify and pay, transforming Walmart Pay into a universal platform any team can plug into.
Key Features
Sub-2-second scan-to-identify across all register types. Customers connect instantly without fumbling with apps or payment methods.
Encrypted QR that rotates every 30 seconds. No personal or payment information is ever visible on-screen or extractable by third parties.
Built as a platform layer that any Walmart service can integrate with: from pharmacy to auto care to returns.
The Vision For Walmart Pass
One identification layer for every Walmart service: checkout, returns, auto care, pharmacy, and Walmart+ all share the same scan-to-connect interaction.
Competitive Analysis
We benchmarked 12 retail apps, Target Circle, Starbucks, Amazon, Sam's Club and more, evaluating speed, simplicity, security, and scalability.
What we learned
The strongest experiences shared three qualities: speed (sub-3-second identification), simplicity (single-action scan), and scope (one code for everything). We used these as benchmarks for Walmart Pass.
Core Principles
QR rotates every 30 seconds, encrypted token only. Zero exposed personal data.
Code generation and transaction completion under 2 seconds.
Cash, card, wallet, or Walmart+: every customer can identify themselves.
Any Walmart team can build on top without redesigning the core.
Design Explorations
Two patterns tested: full-screen immersive vs. bottom sheet modal.
Full-Screen Approach
- Immersive, dedicated experience
- Takes over entire screen, breaks navigation
- Limited scalability for additional features
- Harder to dismiss and retry
- Doesn't align with iOS/Android sheet patterns
Bottom Sheet Approach
- Maintains app context and navigation
- Scales gracefully with new features
- Mobile-native pattern reduces learning curve
- Quick dismiss and retry supported
- Aligns with platform design guidelines
How we tested and validated
Three validation layers: qualitative discovery, prototype testing, and engineering feasibility.
A note on the metrics above: The 2.3s identification time comes from moderated prototype testing, not production data. The 100% GMV traceability and 4,600+ store targets are projections based on the platform architecture review. We're transparent about these because the project was paused before a production pilot could run.
How we shaped the experience
Geofence triggers Store Mode on entry. The Pass code lives front and center alongside store tools, one tap away.
Bottom sheet slides up from Store Mode, connection, payment, and receipt all in one flow without losing context.
Same code works at self-checkout, returns, and Auto Care. One pattern learned, used everywhere. The QR identity layer was designed as platform-level infrastructure. Beyond the initial 5 services, the architecture supports 15+ future integrations without requiring customers to learn a new interaction.
Pass
Final Designs
Scannable code in Store Mode, surfaced by geofence. Scan → instant connection → payment suggestion based on cart contents. Green checkmark confirmation.
In prototype testing across 10 participants, the median identification time was 2.3 seconds, well below the 3-second industry benchmark set by competitors like Target Circle and Starbucks Rewards. Today, 40% of in-store GMV has zero customer traceability. With Walmart Pass, the projected traceability reaches 100% across all 4,600+ stores.
End-to-End Journey
Click the phone to step through the checkout flow
Future Functionalities
Walmart Pass was designed as a platform foundation for 15+ planned integrations across Walmart's service ecosystem.
What I owned vs. supported
What this work set up
Fully designed, prototyped, and validated. Paused before launch due to company-wide restructuring. The design work established a foundation for how the team thinks about in-store identity.
What I took away
This project got shelved during a company-wide restructuring, and I won't pretend that wasn't frustrating. But it reinforced something I keep coming back to: the value of design work isn't only measured by whether it launches. The identity framework we built became a reference for how other Walmart teams thought about in-store digital touchpoints. The platform model influenced cross-service integration conversations that outlasted the project itself. And the research itself, including 14 in-store interviews, 10 prototype sessions, and engineering feasibility reviews, produced insights that didn't expire when the roadmap shifted. Sometimes the most important thing a designer can do is build the thinking that makes the next version possible, even if someone else gets to ship it.