Based on a publication from George Anderson in RetailWire, Walmart says it’s ready to deliver groceries inside 30 million American homes.
Walmart dice que está listo para hacer envío de víveres a 30 millones de hogares norteamericanos
Walmart is serious about gaining entry into your home. The retailer announced plans to expand its InHome Delivery service five-fold before 2022 is over.
The retailer, which currently serves a potential market of six million households, launched the service in 2019 in the Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Vero Beach markets. It expanded the program to its home state of Arkansas last year and also added parts of Florida and the Atlanta area. InHome will be scaled to cover a market of 30 million households under the current plan.
Walmart said it would hire more than 3,000 delivery drivers and build a fleet of 100 percent all-electric delivery vans to support the effort.
Customers enrolled in Walmart’s program place orders through the retailer’s mobile app and select InHome as the delivery option. Delivery associates use smart entry technology to enter the garages or homes of customers. Their actions are tracked by way of wearable cameras. While Walmart typically uses third-party couriers to deliver groceries, only specially trained employees work in the InHome program.
“We’ve been operating InHome in select markets over the last two years and have found it is a perfect solution for customers who want to live their lives without worrying about making it to the store or being home to accept a delivery,” Tom Ward, senior vice president, last mile at Walmart U.S., said in a news release. “Identifying ways to help our customers save time and money is our purpose, and nothing showcases that better than InHome delivery, which is why we’re excited to bring the convenience of InHome to even more customers in 2022.”
The InHome Delivery service membership costs customers $19.95 a month or $148 per year, which covers all fees, including tips. Customers extend one-time access to their InHome associate using an existing smart lock, a garage keypad or by purchasing a new smart lock from InHome for $49.95.
The delivery associate position is full-time at Walmart, and the retailer is paying $1.50 an hour over most current in-store roles in an effort to attract top talent. Management plans to fill many of the 3,000 new jobs with top performers in its current ranks. Drivers receive specialized training, both in-person and using virtual reality, to build the skill sets necessary to perform to the expectations on the job.
This article was originally published in RetailWire
