Walmart to Expand Grocery Delivery With Postmates’ Partnership
Walmart is investing further in online grocery. MarketWatch reports Walmart will offer online grocery delivery to more than 40 percent of U.S. homes through a partnership with Postmates, the on-demand delivery service that launched in 2011. The expansion will start in Charlotte, N.C. and spread in the coming months. Walmart personal shoppers will pick the groceries customers select online or on the Walmart app and then can select the delivery option via Postmates. There is a $30 order minimum and a $9.95 delivery services fee.
Total Retail's Take: Online grocery is again in the news. We know Walmart has been searching for a grocery delivery option and looking to beef up its offerings in this category ever since competitor Amazon.com acquired Whole Foods. Currently, Walmart offers curbside pickup at about 1,000 locations (and will be adding 1,000 more), but this agreement with Postmates pushes it further into online grocery with home delivery. The announcement follows Winn-Dixie's announcement to start offering online ordering and Amazon's announcement that it will offer two-hour grocery delivery at certain locations via Amazon Prime. Consumers are increasingly opting to buy their groceries online, and retailers are fighting to get their share of this growing market.
