Retailers value artificial intelligence and supply chain technology investments more than other areas of spending — and Walmart’s new use of Cropin’s AI tech for produce needs checks both boxes.
India-based Cropin, whose AI platform is designed for food and agriculture use cases, announced that Walmart will deploy its solutions, targeting outcomes in improved yield forecasting, monitoring crop health and predicting seasonal transitions. Those goals, which already involve navigating unpredictable weather, can also necessitate responses to market volatility and supply chain disruptions. In both of the latter cases, new tariffs impacting ecommerce — and retailers broadly — have introduced additional challenges in 2025.
Walmart is No. 2 in the Top 2000, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North America’s online retailers by web sales. It is also No. 9 in the Global Online Marketplaces Database, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of top such marketplaces by third-party gross merchandise value (GMV). Digital Commerce 360 projects Walmart’s online sales in 2025 will reach $153.88 billion.
Walmart web sales by year
How Walmart will use Cropin’s AI technology
“Tech innovation is what drives real-world solutions to move forward a globally resilient supply chain,” said Kyle Carlyle, vice president of sourcing innovation and surety of supply at Walmart. “By collaborating with Cropin, it enables Walmart to further streamline sourcing practices and better predict yields using their real-time Gen-AI technology.”
Cropin called Walmart’s deployment the first of its kind for the vendor’s agri-intelligence platform. It also noted that the deployment would be custom built with the intent to “transform Walmart’s sourcing strategies, enhance supply chain resilience, and optimize operational efficiency in the food retail sector.”
Carlyle framed the choice for Walmart as one that aligns with the retailer’s innovation goals more generally.
“We are always looking for new ways to innovate, and Cropin demonstrates our bold innovation goals in the agriculture space,” he stated.
AI’s importance at Walmart in 2025
Like other retailers, Walmart has made use of AI widespread in its operations. The retailer’s recent $200 million acquisition of Symbotic’s AI-powered robotics platform shows the prominent role it sees for the technology in ecommerce fulfillment.
For Walmart employees, CEO Doug McMillon recently announced the rollout of an AI tool named Wally. McMillon cited the need to “get to the root cause of issues related to things like out of stocks or overstocks with more accuracy and speed” as use cases where Wally will come into play.
With Cropin, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company will see AI reach its supply chains and produce as well.
“As a champion and role model in the retail sector, Walmart has consistently set the bar by evolving best practices, not just for the company but for the sector as a whole,” said Krishna Kumar, founder and CEO at Cropin. “In my 14 years of driving tech and AI-enabled transformations in the agri-food industry, the last few years have been particularly promising, as stakeholders in the agri-food space recognize that technology in upstream agriculture is no longer a luxury, but a necessity to future-proof business models. Our collaboration with Walmart reflects this ongoing shift, and we look forward to exceeding their expectations, strengthening our position as a trusted enabler of future growth.”
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