Sam’s Club Brings Advertising to App-Based Scan & Go Checkout Experience

The Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP), the retailer’s media network, is launching display ads in the Scan & Go mobile checkout experience, with the aim of reaching consumers closer to their point of decision.

Scan & Go, part of the Sam’s Club app, allows members to use their mobile devices to scan items as they shop in-club, complete payment and skip the checkout line entirely. Usage of Scan & Go has surged by 50% over the past three years, and one in three Sam’s Club members is now a regular user.

Members who opt in will see display ads on the cart page that dynamically refresh after each new product scan, giving advertisers a new way to reach Sam’s Club members at the point of conversion and giving members new opportunities for product discovery. The ads will provide measurable results to advertisers, including metrics such as return on ad spend (ROAS), click-through rate (CTR), incremental sales and conversion rate.

“This new capability reflects our member obsession and commitment to ensuring ads reach the right members at the right time in their shopping journeys,” said Diana Marshall, EVP and Chief Growth Officer at Sam’s Club in a statement. “Creating a closed loop omnichannel advertising experience enables us to better understand member shopping behavior and ad performance, ensuring we keep the member experience at the forefront while helping our advertisers achieve their objectives.”

The new advertising capability is currently available in all clubs for select members and will roll out to 100% of in-club traffic over the coming weeks. At launch, several Sam’s Club MAP advertisers such as Unilever already plan to utilize Scan & Go ads.

“This launch represents another step forward in Retail Media 2.0, which is characterized by the blending of physical and digital experiences,” said Andrew Lipsman, Founder and Chief Analyst of Media, Ads + Commerce in a statement. “By integrating display ads into the Scan & Go feature, Sam’s Club is introducing a new surface to the shopping journey that can deliver value to both customers and advertisers.”

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