Walmart’s in-house tech and fulfillment units are now offering tools and know-how to other retailers.
In a new partnership with Salesforce, retailers using Salesforce Commerce Cloud can now access Walmart Commerce Technologies’ Store Assist local fulfillment app and Walmart GoLocal’s delivery solutions to offer local pickup and delivery services, Walmart said in a Thursday (Jan. 12) press release.
“Through this partnership, retailers can leverage the same innovative and scalable technologies that power Walmart’s pickup and delivery experiences,” Anshu Bhardwaj, senior vice president of technology strategy and commercialization at Walmart Global Technology, said in the release.
PYMNTS research has found that there’s growing demand for both in-store pickup and curbside pickup.
During this year’s Black Friday, 25% of online shoppers obtained their purchases via in-store pickup and 15% received them via curbside pickup. Those figures were up from the 13% and 12%, respectively, recorded a year earlier, according to “Black Friday 2022: High Prices Reshape Holiday Shopping Habits.”
Amazon, too, has rolled out new services to help retailers offer both same-day delivery and buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS).
In August, the firm gave Prime members in 10 United States metro areas the ability to shop at local retail stores using its app and website and have their purchases delivered that day.
In addition, some stores offer the option to make purchases online and pick up items in store.
“By offering Same-Day Delivery, these retailers add to the hundreds of thousands of items already available to Amazon customers within hours of purchase, Amazon said at the time.
Walmart’s new partnership with Salesforce helps retailers meet the growing consumer demand for connected experiences across both physical and digital touchpoints, Rob Garf, vice president and general manager of retail at Salesforce, said in the release.
Walmart’s Store Assist app enables BOPIS by helping retailers boost their picking efficiency and seamlessly hand off the products to customers or third-party delivery drivers, while its Store Assist app facilitates local same-day delivery. Both apps also provide real-time order visibility, according to the press release.
“With the combined power of Walmart and Salesforce, retailers can drive success with best-in-class technology to advance their omnichannel capabilities, drive efficiency and ensure that every purchase quickly gets into the hands of the shopper — no matter where they are,” Garf said.
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