Wal-Mart is attempting to alleviate customers' concerns about its new pricing technology, while also promoting digital price tags in its stores.

In a statement published on the company's website, Walmart CEO John Furner stated that the retailer, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, will not use personal information such as income, shopping history, or the prices customers are willing to pay to set prices, and will not do so in the future either.

Ferna wrote on Friday, "We do not set different prices based on who you are or what time of day it is, and we will not do so. Whether you are buying groceries or electronics on a hot afternoon, or in a hurry to find a particular item, that is certainly not a reason to charge you a higher price."

As some shoppers, consumer rights advocates, and members of parliament expressed concerns about Walmart and other stores promoting digital price tags, this commitment came into effect. Digital price tags are rapidly replacing the paper shelf labels in American supermarkets, allowing stores to change prices instantly through a central computer system, without the need for employees to manually replace the paper labels.

Ferna pointed out that Walmart also commits to the same principles regarding its artificial intelligence shopping assistant Sparky. It will not use this robot to increase prices for customers, nor will it hide lower-priced options that better meet their needs.

Ferna said that such practices would violate the company's "low price every day" business model.

He also stated that prices can indeed change: Walmart will lower prices when it is able to pass on the savings to consumers; however, sometimes if the procurement or transportation costs for a particular product are higher, prices may also increase.

In March, Walmart stated that 2,300 of its stores in the United States were already using digital shelves, and it is expected that this technology will be rolled out across the entire company within the next year.

Wal-Mart executives have repeatedly stated that electronic shelf tags help retailers to adjust prices more consistently and ensure that the final amounts at the checkout are in line with the prices displayed. They also save employees time and reduce labor costs by replacing paper labels.

Last month, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission stated that it was reminding businesses that personalized pricing practices may violate consumer protection laws. The agency noted that it does not have legal authority to ban personalized pricing in all circumstances, but it issued a new announcement warning businesses that they must disclose to consumers how personal information is used for pricing purposes.