READ THIS NEXT: If You Shop at Walmart, Prepare for These Major Changes Starting in July. Walmart customers will soon be getting access to a new feature in the Walmart app, the company recently announced. You’ll be able to use an augmented reality (AR) feature to see what furniture looks like in your home ahead of purchasing. The “View in your space” tool will let you pick and choose from 300 different furniture and home décor pieces, and even use a nifty dimension tool to see if a couch or chair will fit in your space.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb This isn’t the only feature that’s on the docket, however, as the retailer also hopes to roll out an AR feature for in-store use. Again using the Walmart app, you’ll be able to point your phone’s camera at store shelves and filter Walmart’s product assortment to suit your preferences. The “View in your space” tool becomes available in July, and while you may be eager to try out the in-store AR feature, Walmart has yet to announce a formal launch date since stating that it’s being developed in a June 23 press release. And now, the retailer announced yet another thing shoppers can look forward to. Over the past nine years, Walmart has hosted an annual Open Call event, where U.S. manufacturers pitch their products in an attempt to score a deal with the retailer. According to a Walmart press release, this year’s event was held on June 30 at the company’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, with over 1,110 business pitching their products in 30-minute virtual or one-on-one meetings. At the ninth annual event, over 330 pitches ended on a positive note, in the form of a deal with Walmart. As a result, Walmart will be adding the products either to store shelves or its online inventory on Walmart.com, meaning you’ll have even more to choose from when shopping. Products will also be sold on Walmart Marketplace, which allows brands to sell directly to consumers, but requires approval from the retailer. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. In addition to Walmart, some new products will be available at Sam’s Club, which is a subsidiary of the retailer. While the press release did not specify the date when products will be available for purchase, Scott Gutche, senior director of U.S. Manufacturing for Walmart, did list some of the brands that you can expect to see, many of which are small businesses. “We’ve met so many amazing small business owners through Open Call over the years, and this year is no exception,” Gutche said. “From Catrina’s Kitchen Southern Seasoned Flour to EZ-gro’s Spicy Salad Mix, Microgreen Growing Kit, we’re so excited about the new products and people that will be joining the Walmart supplier family.” And in case the hundreds of new products to choose from weren’t enticing enough, the company noted that business owners for more than 280 products “are continuing conversations with merchants for potential deals in the future.” Walmart pledged in 2013 to spend $250 billion on products that are manufactured, grown, or assembled domestically, the press release stated. Having already met that 10-year goal, the company is now investing an additional $350 billion in these products by 2031. “Investing in U.S. manufacturing is not only the right thing to do for the country’s long-term economic health, it’s the right thing to do for customers today who are dealing with historic inflation,” Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart Inc., said in a statement. “We’re excited that more and more great products at strong price points are being produced in the U.S. Our $350 billion investment in items made, grown or assembled in the U.S. helps deliver our customers the goods they need, when they need them, at affordable prices, while supporting the creation of more than 750,000 jobs,” McMillon added.
