Walmart is launching a new delivery service called Walmart Go Local.
The service will cater to local outfits and national businesses alike.
“Our strengths lie in our local footprint and our digital connections,” US CEO John Furner said.
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Walmart is offering a new platform that allows businesses to arrange local deliveries with the retail giant. The announcement came as the company continues to attempt to leverage its logistical capabilities and expand into e-commerce-related revenue streams.
The new commercialized delivery platform will be called Walmart GoLocal.
Walmart first launched its delivery and express delivery services in 2018, and the offering is now available for 160,000 products at over 3,000. The retailer estimates that its delivery program covers nearly 70% of the US population. According to Walmart executives, Walmart GoLocal is a move that can help local businesses capitalize on those delivery capabilities.
Executives also tied the new service to other commercial offerings from the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company, including its ad business Walmart Connect and its rival to Amazon’s e-commerce enterprise, Walmart Fulfillment Services.
Walmart also recently announced that it would partner with Adobe to release technology products for small businesses.
Speaking during a press call on Monday, Walmart US CEO John Furner and SVP of last mile Tom Ward said that the new service, which debuts Tuesday, would be a “white-label” provider, meaning that the client’s branding will take precedence, as well as an alternative revenue stream and profit pool for Walmart.
Ward also said that the platform will be available in suburban and rural areas where “other delivery providers” struggle. “Through Walmart GoLocal, any merchant from national retailers to small town shops can use Walmart’s growing delivery platform to power their local delivery efforts,” Ward said. “The service is white-label, in that our clients brands are front and center.”
Ward explained how the service would work, noting that Walmart will get a “ping” whenever a customer places an order with a business using Walmart GoLocal. The service will dispatch a driver to deliver the item, and Walmart will “capture any delivery experience feedback.”
Walmart GoLocal has been contracted with several retail clients, although Ward and Furner did not expand on which businesses have signed on so far.
“Our strengths lie in our local footprint and our digital connections,” Furner said.
This business is an important part of the company’s overall strategy, which includes diversifying its revenue streams and profit pools with initiatives like Walmart Connect and Walmart Fulfillment Services. Its launch comes weeks after the retailer announced plans to begin offering technologies and capabilities to help other businesses navigate their own digital transformation.