Omni Talk Retail’s Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga reconnect with Diana Marshall, EVP and Chief Experience Officer at Sam’s Club, live from the Fusion Group’s podcast studio at NRF Europe in Paris. In this follow-up conversation, Diana shares updates on Sam’s Club’s complete website and app redesign, the expansion of their innovative “exit arches” technology, and how the retailer is building convenience into new store formats while maintaining their experimental spirit from 1983.
Retail Veteran Leading Experience Innovation
Diana brings two decades of retail experience to her role, including 18 years at Walmart US across merchandising and operations before joining Sam’s Club two and a half years ago. As Chief Experience Officer, she oversees membership, marketing, advertising, insights, and experience strategy teams—a comprehensive portfolio that enables integrated approach to member experience optimization.
Her background provides unique perspective on both operational efficiency and customer experience design, critical for managing Sam’s Club’s transformation from traditional warehouse club to technology-enabled convenience retailer.
Complete Digital Platform Overhaul: Speed and Personalization
Sam’s Club recently completed a comprehensive redesign of their entire website and app experience, reaching 100% rollout. The initiative addressed fundamental member feedback while introducing advanced capabilities:
Faster Load Times: Responding to member complaints about speed, the new platform delivers significantly improved performance—addressing what Diana calls “a basic issue” that members expected solved.
Enhanced Personalization: New capabilities enable customized experiences based on member behavior and preferences, moving beyond one-size-fits-all warehouse club approaches.
Improved Product Pages: Better imagery and product presentation enhance the digital shopping experience, particularly important as e-commerce reaches 18% of Sam’s Club’s business.
Fulfillment Integration: The redesign highlights pickup and delivery options, emphasizing convenience services that drive growth.
The platform leverages Walmart’s e-commerce progress while adapting specifically for Sam’s Club’s membership model and bulk shopping patterns.
Exit Arches: Computer Vision Eliminating Receipt Checks
Building on their successful Scan and Go mobile checkout launch, Sam’s Club has deployed “exit arches” chainwide—computer vision systems that eliminate traditional receipt checking for all members, not just those using mobile checkout.
The technology works through large archways with typically two lanes each, allowing multiple shopping carts to pass through simultaneously. Computer vision systems verify purchases for both Scan and Go users and traditional register checkout customers, creating seamless exit experiences regardless of checkout method.
Continuous Improvement: Diana reports improving accuracy as computer vision technology advances, with member experience scores increasing throughout the year-long deployment.
Speed of Implementation: The rollout from concept to chainwide deployment occurred in less than a year, demonstrating Sam’s Club’s ability to execute innovation rapidly once member needs are identified.
Member Feedback Loop: The exit arches emerged directly from member feedback about having to wait for receipt checks even after using Scan and Go, exemplifying Sam’s Club’s approach of listening to problems and engineering solutions.
Store Format Evolution: Building for E-Commerce Growth
Sam’s Club’s newest stores in Texas and Tempe, Arizona feature dramatically expanded back rooms—six to seven times larger than traditional Sam’s Club storage areas. This architectural change reflects strategic response to e-commerce growth and fulfillment demands.
The expanded space accommodates curbside pickup operations that previously required awkward floor space reallocation in existing stores. With e-commerce representing 18% of business and driving significant growth, proper fulfillment infrastructure becomes essential for member experience and operational efficiency.
Express Delivery Integration: The new store format supports multiple convenience services including express delivery and curbside pickup, positioning Sam’s Club for continued digital growth.
Floor Experience: Moving fulfillment operations to dedicated back rooms improves the shopping experience by removing visual clutter and operational conflicts between shopping members and order fulfillment teams.
Holiday Season Strategy: Items and Experiences
Diana emphasizes Sam’s Club’s identity as “an item business” while expanding their holiday offerings beyond traditional warehouse club categories. The holiday strategy includes:
Unique Products: Items like smart hoops that appeal to families alongside traditional bulk goods
Travel Packages: Vacation deals that leverage Sam’s Club’s purchasing power for members seeking travel savings
Thanksgiving Excellence: Positioning Sam’s Club as the destination for complete Thanksgiving meals
Gift Inspiration: Curated gift guides to help members navigate holiday shopping efficiently
The approach maintains Sam’s Club’s treasure hunt appeal while providing structured guidance for seasonal shopping.
Innovation Philosophy: Experimental Spirit Since 1983
Diana frames Sam’s Club’s continuous innovation within their founding story: “We started as an experiment in 1983. We’re glad to keep it going.” This perspective explains their willingness to implement ambitious technology projects like chainwide computer vision deployment and comprehensive digital platform redesigns.
The experimental mindset enables rapid iteration based on member feedback, from identifying receipt check inefficiencies to engineering exit arch solutions within months rather than years.
Key Strategic Insights
- Member-Driven Innovation: Successful technology implementations emerge from listening to specific member pain points rather than deploying technology for its own sake
- Rapid Execution: Moving from concept to chainwide deployment in under a year requires organizational commitment to experimental approaches
- Omnichannel Integration: E-commerce growth necessitates physical store infrastructure changes to support fulfillment operations
- Experience Continuity: Technology should enhance rather than complicate member experiences, whether they use mobile checkout or traditional registers
- Leveraged Learning: Adapting successful innovations from sister companies while customizing for specific business models and member needs
The Future of Membership Retail
Diana’s insights reveal how membership retailers can successfully balance technology innovation with operational efficiency. Sam’s Club’s approach demonstrates that successful digital transformation requires infrastructure investment, member feedback integration, and willingness to experiment with unproven solutions.
The exit arches represent a particularly compelling example—using computer vision to solve a specific member friction point while improving operational efficiency. Rather than implementing technology to showcase capabilities, Sam’s Club focused on eliminating an experience pain point that members explicitly identified.
As e-commerce continues growing from 18% of business, the expanded fulfillment spaces in new stores position Sam’s Club for sustained digital growth while maintaining the warehouse club shopping experience that members value.
The combination of faster digital platforms, frictionless store exits, and convenience-focused store formats demonstrates how traditional retailers can evolve customer experiences while preserving core value propositions that originally attracted members.
🔑 Topics covered:
- Complete website and app redesign addressing speed, personalization, and fulfillment integration
- Exit arches using computer vision to eliminate receipt checks for all checkout methods
- New store formats with 6-7x larger back rooms supporting e-commerce growth (18% of business)
- Member feedback-driven innovation cycle from problem identification to rapid solution deployment
- Holiday strategy balancing unique items, travel packages, and curated gift inspiration
- Experimental philosophy maintaining innovation culture from 1983 founding
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Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.