Walmart’s ‘Sparky’ Chatbot Drives Higher Spending and Deeper Customer Engagement

Retail giant bets big on AI chatbots as digital shoppers spend 35% more when guided by smart conversations.

Walmart’s AI chatbot, Sparky, is quickly proving that conversations can turn into conversions. Since its launch in June 2025, the chatbot has attracted millions of users and is already boosting how much customers spend online.

Designed to help shoppers discover products, receive personalized recommendations, and automate routine purchases, Sparky is one of the first large-scale AI chatbots introduced by a traditional retail giant. The move signals Walmart’s broader ambition to evolve beyond a brick-and-mortar retailer into a technology-driven e-commerce company.

According to Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey, customers who interact with Sparky spend on average 35% more per order than those who do not. Nearly half of Walmart’s app users have tried the chatbot at least once. “Simply put, Sparky is helping customers find the things they need,” said Rainey. “It’s strengthening our digital unit economics as it scales.”

While Walmart has not disclosed the exact large language model powering Sparky, the company has formed strategic partnerships with major AI players, including OpenAI and Google. This ensures Walmart products remain easily searchable across popular AI platforms.

Beyond chatbots, Walmart is also investing in technologies like drone delivery, reinforcing its tech-first strategy. With Sparky lifting both engagement and spending, Walmart’s experiment with conversational AI is showing that chatbots may soon become a standard feature of modern retail.