Walmart takes grocery delivery a step further – to the fridge
US retail giant Walmart has taken grocery delivery to the next level with employees now prepared to stock the fridge as part of its delivery service.
Marc Lore, president and CEO, Walmart eCommerce US said in a statement on Friday that Walmart InHome Delivery means supermarket staff can deliver groceries even when customers aren’t home, allowing shoppers to save time.
“We’re on track to offer Grocery Pickup from 3,100 stores and same-day Grocery Delivery from 1,600 stores by year-end. Which got us thinking…what if we could literally take it one step further and make it even easier?” said Lore.
Customers can select InHome Delivery when shopping online and Walmart delivery staff will take their shopping from food aisle to fridge.
Walmart employees will use smart entry technology and a proprietary, wearable camera to access the customer’s home, allowing customers to control access to their homes and watch the deliveries remotely.
The Walmart boss said associates will undergo extensive training program. They will be trained on entering customers’ homes with “the same care and respect” they have when they visit a family or friends house. They will also be trained to select the freshest grocery items and organise them in the refrigerator.
“It’s also exciting how leveraging our stores and amazing associates for services like this opens up more possibilities in the future. For example, later this year, InHome will also accept returns for items purchased on Walmart.com – customers can just leave them on the counter and their InHome Delivery associate will return the items on their behalf,” added Lore.
The new InHome service will start this fall in the US, in three cities including Kansas City, Missouri; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Vero Beach, Florida.
“Part of our core eCommerce strategy is to innovate for the future and leverage our unique assets. The technology powering InHome Delivery combines the power of our store footprint, store associates and world-class fresh supply chain. Now we can serve customers not just in the last mile, but in the last 15 feet. And that’s truly inspiring!” added Lore.
Some consumers have expressed their uncertainty about the new Walmart service on Twitter.
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