Sam's Club to launch iPad app

Sam's Club will debut an iPad app in the “next few weeks,” said Matt Martin, senior marketing manager at the Wal-Mart Stores-owned retailer, during a session at the ad:tech New York conference on Nov. 10.

“We are designing tablet solutions for our members that are browse-centric and an opportunity for them to engage and think about exploring new areas of Sam's Club that maybe they haven't ever considered in the past,” said Martin before demonstrating a beta version of the app which initially opens up to a virtual Sam's Club store.

“You can tap on different areas of the [store] and just explore," he said. "This whole center section is very browse-centric. It's all about just sitting on your couch and exploring – seeing what's going on at your local Sam's Club."

Via the app, consumers will be able to view what eValues personalized discounts are available to them. They can also manage their Sam's Club membership through a "my membership" feature and receive information such as store events, hours and featured items with the "my club" feature.

The app features an e-commerce functionality that consumers can use to make purchases and save their credit card to the app. At checkout, consumers will be able to designate any products that they wish to pick up at their local Sam's Club store as opposed to being shipped to the consumer's home, Martin said.