The retail giant has introduced a trade in program to encourage mobile commerce and device shopping.
As the majority of industry experts are now expecting that the next iPhone is less than a month away from being released by Apple, Walmart is taking a preemptive step by introducing a Gadgets for Gift Cards program, in which customers can turn in their old devices in exchange for a gift card to be used in its stores.
The trade in is not exclusive to smartphones, but also includes MP3 players, video games, and more.
Other gadgets and electronics can be traded in for a gift card, including MP3 players, cameras, video games, computers, and other types of electronics, in addition to smartphones. The retailer has yet to make it entirely clear how much consumers will actually receive in the form of the gift card when they trade in their unwanted devices, but according to the company, receiving something is better than nothing, especially when it is in exchange for an item that is no longer wanted.
Though this may not suggest that customers will receive the best price for their gadgets, they will have a gift card in seconds.
This means that while the amount of the gift card may not be the best possible amount that a consumer could receive for his or her unwanted gadgets, it does suggest that in a matter of moments, he or she could divest him or herself of something they don’t need and will have money to put toward anything else that they would like on the retail giant’s shelves.
The gadget trade in process starts online, where the individual enters his or her device information and its condition. The website generates a code that can be used online or in-store at any of the American Walmart locations. From that point, the consumer will undergo a credit check. Once passed, he or she has ten days in which to send the unwanted item to Walmart. A free shipping label is provided at that time. When the product is received, the gift card becomes valid and the shopping can begin.
