FTC Seeks Information From 9 Companies on Personalized Pricing as Walmart Agrees to $6 Billion Automation Expansion
Key Facts
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission ordered 9 companies to provide information as part of a study on the use of personal data to set prices and compensation, including Walmart, according to the commission’s statement issued on October 28, 2026. The measure seeks to assess whether the price of a ticket, ride, delivery service or another product varies from one person to another. The commission said differences could be linked to factors such as loyalty-program membership or analysis of personal data. It said the orders rely on its authority to conduct broad studies that do not require a specific law-enforcement purpose. The information request therefore does not, by itself, mean that an enforcement action has been opened or that Walmart has been accused of wrongdoing. The request coincided with Walmart and Symbotic announcing an expanded automation agreement, but the two announcements concern separate matters.
Besides Walmart, the companies named by the FTC include Target, Instacart, DoorDash, Lyft, Uber and three airlines, spanning retail, transportation and delivery. The study examines how personal data may be linked to service prices or compensation, not the automation deal between Walmart and Symbotic. The commission gave the entities concerned 45 days from receipt of the orders to respond. In its statement, it said it wants to determine whether “the price of a ticket, ride, food delivery, product or other service varies from one person to another.” The framework places loyalty programs and data analysis among the factors the commission wants to examine, without establishing that the companies actually use them to change prices. According to the FTC statement, the requests are based on its authority to conduct a study, not on an accusation against the companies named.
In a separate response to questions about pricing, Walmart CEO John Furner said in September that the company does not use personal information such as income, shopping history or a customer’s willingness to pay to set prices. He added that the company would not use this information for that purpose in the future. Furner said Walmart “does not use personal information such as income, shopping history or a customer’s willingness to pay to set prices.” The position overlaps with the subject of the FTC’s announced study, but does not change the nature of the request as information gathering in a broader review. The commission did not say in its statement that Walmart is accused of personalized pricing or that it has opened a law-enforcement investigation against the company. The company’s response therefore remains a stated position on a subject the commission is examining through orders directed to 9 entities.
Walmart’s agreement with Symbotic provides for $125 million in funding to develop next-generation shelf technology, along with capabilities related to picking, workflow and inventory management. Symbotic said the initial commitment could increase the value of business included in its future order backlog by up to $6.92 billion, a potential estimate rather than an immediate cash funding amount. The agreement establishes a global framework for automation systems and technologies provided to Walmart and its affiliates. The initial commitment is also in addition to purchase commitments in previous agreements, and does not replace them. Reuters reported that the new commitment is worth about $6 billion over several years, and that Symbotic has been helping Walmart automate its supply chain since 2017. This commercial scope separates the automation investment from the FTC study, despite the announcements coinciding.
Walmart said Symbotic’s systems are designed to manage e-commerce inventory in the upstream stages of fulfillment, increase storage capacity and improve product movement through the supply chain. The company expects these capabilities to support a broader product assortment, greater speed and more reliable replenishment. Rob Montgomery, executive vice president of supply chain operations at Walmart U.S., said the collaboration helps “improve service, increase capacity, simplify our associates’ work and lower costs.” Symbotic said its software uses artificial intelligence to coordinate the movement of millions of packages each day, alongside solutions for picking individual cases and preparing online orders. Rick Cohen, Symbotic’s chairman and chief executive, described the agreement as an extension of a partnership that began with one product more than a decade ago, saying it is built on “trust and shared ambition.” Company data show the importance of the existing relationship ahead of the expansion: Walmart accounted for about 88% of Symbotic’s revenue in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.
Walmart shares closed at $121.25 on October 29, 2026, compared with a close of $118.77 on October 28 and $119.32 on October 27, according to EL7 data. These closing prices provide context for the stock’s movement over the three days, without linking the price change to either announcement based on the available data. October 29 brought both the announcement of the expanded agreement with Symbotic and news of the FTC’s information request, but the commission did not say the automation deal was the reason for its request. The companies are due to respond within 45 days of receiving FTC orders, while Symbotic’s statement did not specify a later implementation date for the agreement’s phases in the information available here. The companies’ responses are the next dated milestone in the personalized-pricing study.