Walmart wants to make deliveries for independent grocers – RetailWire - RetailWire

Feb 28, 2022

by George Anderson

Walmart is ready to deliver for grocers across the country.

Cognetry Labs, a cloud-based artificial intelligence software platform, last week announced that it was fully integrating with Walmart GoLocal to give mid-sized and small grocers the ability to offer online delivery services on par with larger competitors.

“As an independent grocer, the need to offer our customers convenient access to online shopping and local delivery has never been more prevalent,” said Ediberto Hernandez, owner of Ideal Food Basket in Dania Beach. FL, in a press release. “By enabling delivery with Walmart GoLocal through our Cognetry Labs platform, we’ve been able to ramp grocery delivery in a matter of weeks, providing our customers with reliable delivery at an affordable price.”

“This is one way we deliver on Walmart GoLocal’s brand promise to bring affordable access to products and services to customers while also empowering businesses to grow using our capabilities and coverage,” Harsit Patel, general manager of Walmart GoLocal, said in a statement. “The fully integrated solution with Cognetry Labs plus Walmart GoLocal drives value to our customers and addresses real needs of mid-market retailers.”

Walmart launched GoLocal in August of last year. The white label service uses third-party drivers to deliver orders for businesses across the U.S. The retailer includes Home Depot, Chico’s FAS and independents among clients that use the service to make same- and next-day deliveries.

GoLocal is part of Walmart’s continuing emphasis on building its distribution strengths. A Wall Street Journal article yesterday outlined how Walmart is ramping up microwarehouses at store locations. The company plans to build around 100 in coming years.

Walmart is also expanding its Spark service that uses third-party shoppers/drivers to deliver products ordered online to customers’ doors.

The chain is using its own employees as part of its In-Home Delivery service that places orders inside the homes of customers.

The goal, according to Tom Ward, head of its U.S. e-commerce operations, is speedier deliveries.

He said that two-day deliveries are standard in retail today. “One day is pretty cool,” he said, adding that, “same-day day is really impressive and sub-same day is even more impressive.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Will mid-sized and small grocers trust Walmart to deliver online orders for them? Is same-day and sub-same day delivery about to become the standard in online grocery, even for independents?

Braintrust

"Partnering with Walmart for online order delivery arguably makes more sense for small-to-mid-sized grocers than hooking up with Instacart. "