As COVID-19 continues to drive retail collection and delivery gains, Walmart (NYSE: WMT) has just announced its latest initiative to make food delivery more convenient and painless for customers. According to today’s press release, Walmart is partnering with HomeValet, which will provide the “smart box” connected to the Internet of Things at the core of the service.
The new program will be tested in the spring of 2021 in Bentonville, Arkansas, where Walmart was founded and where its headquarters are located. Customers using the smart box can request delivery in advance. When Walmart couriers arrive, they will use an electronic device to access the box and put the groceries inside. At other times, the box remains securely locked.
Image source: Getty Images.
The smart box contains separate compartments for different foods, including non-refrigerated items, refrigerated groceries and frozen foods, kept at appropriate temperatures. With the smart box locked, except for the owner and delivery personnel, it can be outside on a balcony, walkway or lawn. This allows for the delivery of groceries, which remain fresh, while the customer is at work or busy.
The press release says the smart box “presents an opportunity to deliver items 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” Walmart says it still doesn’t have concrete plans for a 24-hour delivery service, all year round, but says, “It certainly sounds good.”
Walmart appears to be using its COVID-19 cash revenue to launch as many different services and subsidiaries as possible. Yesterday, she announced that a new fintech start-up is underway, while continuing to compete for market share against Amazon with subscription services, digital purchase and free return, among other initiatives.