Walmart Bets on Digital Pricing — But Most Shoppers Aren’t Sold

Walmart’s plan to fully roll out digital price tags in 2026 is starting to win over some shoppers, but most remain unconvinced the change will make much of a difference, according to new data from CivicScience.  Digital price tags — sometimes called electronic shelf labels (ESLs) — replace traditional paper tags with small digital displays to show product prices.

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Digital price tags can update prices instantly, a benefit to retail staff who will no longer have to manually switch signs when sales change. For shoppers, it could mean more accurate shelf pricing and less uncertainty.

Digital price tags could also introduce shopping concepts like dynamic pricing or “surge pricing,” where prices rise or fall based on the time of day. Imagine running into your local store after work to grab something quick for dinner and finding quick meals priced higher than they were earlier in the day?

Walmart has said it has no plans to use surge pricing and that prices will remain consistent in any given location “regardless of demand, time of day, or who is shopping,” according to a statement reported by TheStreet

Even so, the Civic Science research shows that roughly three-in-10 shoppers (32% to 38%) believe digital pricing could create a negative shopping experience, while half are ambivalent about the change. 

Data & graphic by CivicScience

Growing interest in digital shelf labels

The latest findings show that 14% of U.S. adults say they are more likely to shop at a grocery store or retailer that replaces traditional paper price tags with digital ones. That’s up five percentage points from 2024, when just 9% said the same. Among Walmart’s own shoppers, the figure is slightly higher at 19%, suggesting the retailer’s core customers may be somewhat more open to the shift.

Even so, indifference continues to dominate. Half of consumers (50%) say digital price tags would have no impact on where they choose to shop, although that’s down from 55% two years ago. Another 36% say they would be less likely to shop at a store using the technology — a figure that has not changed since 2024.

Walmart shoppers follow a similar pattern. Just over half (51%) say digital pricing would not affect their decision to shop at a retailer, while 30% say it would make them less likely to do so. The numbers point to a customer base that is slightly more receptive than the general public, but still largely undecided.

Would digital pricing change the shopping experience?

Views on how digital pricing could shape the in-store experience are also shifting, though only modestly. One in five U.S. adults (20%) now say replacing traditional price tags with digital ones would have a positive impact on their shopping experience, up from 15% in 2024. Among Walmart shoppers, that share ticks up to 22%.

At the same time, 42% of consumers say digital price tags would have no impact on their experience, down from 45% two years ago. Another 38% expect a negative impact, a slight dip from 40% in 2024. While those changes are relatively small, they suggest that some consumers are beginning to warm up to the idea — or at least becoming less skeptical.

Among Walmart shoppers, 46% say digital pricing would not change their experience, while 32% expect it to make things worse. That balance — leaning heavily toward neutrality with a sizable share still negative — marks the challenge Walmart faces as it prepares for a full rollout.

Gradual movement toward a digital future

Taken together, the data paints a picture of gradual movement rather than a dramatic shift. Positive sentiment is inching up, and fewer consumers are sitting on the fence, but there’s no clear sign that digital pricing is becoming a major draw for shoppers.

Instead, most consumers appear to view the change as largely inconsequential to their day-to-day shopping habits. The fact that half of U.S. adults say it won’t influence where they shop — and more than four in ten say it won’t affect their experience — suggests the technology has not yet resonated in a meaningful way. Still, the direction of the trend may matter more than the size of the numbers. The steady uptick in positive responses, combined with a slight decline in negative sentiment, indicates that familiarity with digital pricing could be slowly improving perceptions.For Walmart, that leaves a mixed outlook. The company is seeing some early signs of acceptance, particularly among its own shoppers, but widespread enthusiasm continues to be elusive. As the full 2026 transition happens, the retailer will be introducing one of its most visible in-store changes in a setting where curiosity is growing — but where most shoppers are still taking a wait-and-see approach.

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