Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ: WMT) said Thursday that customers using its artificial intelligence (AI) assistant Sparky spend 40% more per order than those who don't, highlighting the retailer's growing push to turn AI into a shopping and sales tool. Sparky Users Are Spending More, and Using It More
CEO John Furner told analysts during the company's second-quarter earnings call that the number of customers using Sparky was up 70% from a year ago, and those who use it for shopping spend 40% more per order.
In an example he mentioned, a customer asked Sparky for a weekly meal plan of healthy, high-protein foods, and within seconds, it returned recipes and meal kits the customer could add to their cart with one click.
Sparky also recognized ingredients the customer had already purchased, so that they wouldn't buy duplicates.
"It's building trust," Furner added.
Part of a Broader AI Push Across the Business
Furner framed Sparky as part of a broader strategy to use AI to make shopping easier and more personalized while also helping Walmart's own associates work more efficiently.
"We believe AI will improve nearly every part of our business by making shopping better and our associates' work easier," he said.
Sparky, which Walmart launched in June 2025, has also become central to the company's advertising ambitions.
The retailer has since tested "Sponsored Prompt" ads inside Sparky and partnered with OpenAI to let ChatGPT users buy Walmart products directly, a strategy that mirrors rival Amazon.com Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AMZN) push into Sponsored Prompts inside its own AI assistant, Rufus.
Forecast Clouds Strong Q2 Beat
For the second quarter, Walmart reported adjusted earnings of 81 cents per share, beating the consensus estimate of 74 cents, according to Benzinga Pro, while sales reached $187.9 billion, topping the $186.8 billion estimate.
For the third quarter, Walmart expects adjusted earnings of 62 cents to 64 cents per share, below the 68-cent analyst estimate, and forecasts sales of $183.134 billion to $184.468 billion, compared with the $188.339 billion estimate.
Price Action: Shares of the company fell 9.15% on Thursday to close at $103.59 and gained 0.35% in pre-market trading on Friday.