Walmart Inc. has quietly launched a competitor to Instacart’s Express service, Target Corp.’s Shipt service and Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Now service. The retail giant calls the grocery delivery subscription service, “Delivery Unlimited,” and it is currently available in Houston, Miami, Salt Lake City and Tampa. TechCrunch first reported on the new service.
Walmart, says the service launched a “few months ago,” aims to keep the service simple. While Delivery Unlimited enables Walmart shoppers to avoid a per-order Walmart delivery fee that typically ranges from $7.95 to $9.95 per order, the rest of the process is consistent; a consumer can shop via Walmart.com or on the Walmart Grocery app. Consumers can build a basket and select any available time slot for her delivery.
The service is in line with a number of other services, including: Instacart Express, a $99 per-year service that lets shoppers get groceries delivered for a flat fee (and for free when they spend at least $35); Target’s Shipt, a $99 per-year service (or $9.99 per-order service) that enables shoppers to get same-day delivery from Target and other local grocers and stores; and Prime Now, Amazon’s two-hour delivery service that costs $7.99 per order.
The retailer is offering consumers a 15-day trial of the service. After that, consumers can choose to pay $12.95 per month or $98 annually.
Walmart’s slow rollout of the service coincided with Target’s announcement last week that it will enable Target.com shoppers in 47 states to receive roughly 65,000 items in as soon as an hour for a $9.99 flat fee. The push to deliver online orders quickly stems from consumers’ growing expectations; 75% of consumers seek same-day delivery, and 11% of consumers have used a same-day delivery service in the past six months, according to a new consumer survey conducted on behalf of ecommerce service provider Elastic Path.
Walmart is No. 3 in the Internet Retailer 2019 Top 1000. Amazon is No. 1 and Target is No. 16.
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