The new CEO of Walmart Chile, Annie Walker, recounts her first months in the position

The new CEO of Walmart Chile, Annie Walker, recounts her first months in the position The American executive assured at a Toku event that "Chile is a great place to innovate. I am super impressed with the level of artificial intelligence adoption in our organization." This Thursday, the new CEO of Walmart Chile, Annie Walker, participated in a business meeting organized by the Chilean fintech Toku. In a conversation in English with the platform's founder, Cristina Etcheberry, the American executive recounted how these first months have been in charge, after assuming the role in July of this year. Walker has worked at Walmart for 24 years, although she has always been based in the United States. She recounted that "when I found out I had the opportunity, it didn't take me long (to decide to take it). This country is absolutely beautiful, with an incredible team." "Initially I was super excited about the adventure or about getting to know a new base of consumers. But that enthusiasm turned into curiosity. I learned very quickly that what works in one place may not work in another, You have to understand the consumer and where you are going," she stated. She recounted that when visiting Walmart stores in Chile, she was surprised by the amount of yogurt on the shelves. "Why do we need so much yogurt? I really thought we had too much yogurt. They showed me the data and I realized that a lot of yogurt is consumed in this country (...) You don't understand a market until you wake up in it. You can see things from afar, but living in it truly understands the consumer." Chile and AI The CEO of Walmart asserted that "Chile is a great place to innovate. I am super impressed with the level of artificial intelligence adoption in our organization." "Chile is small enough but also large enough, which makes it a perfect place to test innovation." She highlighted ideas born in Chile such as "Carrito listo" (a digital tool that uses AI and purchase history to pre-order a supermarket shopping list) and "Prices that don't touch," which were replicated in Mexico. Regarding the implementation of artificial intelligence in Walmart, Annie Walker pointed out that "AI has gone much deeper." For example, in the case of Carrito Listo, she assured that what users will demand has become more predictable. "This way we can generate better stock and improve availability for customers. And then, we have less risk at the stock level," she explained as advantages of the tool. She explained that "technology and AI help us to make decisions. They help us to be predictive. They help us to understand communities. Every community is different, and what we put in each store will be different. AI helps us make those decisions. The more digitalization grows, the more valuable the stores become." Finally, she concluded by pointing out that in Walmart Chile "we are building an omnichannel network based on speed and trust." COMMENTS To comment on this article you must be a subscriber. Latest Most read 1. 2. 3. 5. Some read, others inform. Take advantage of this unique offer. Digital Plan+$4,120 per month, until the end of the year SUBSCRIBE