Dive Brief:
- Gift-hunting Walmart customers can receive one-hour Express delivery for their last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve if orders are placed by 5 p.m., the retailer announced Tuesday. Walmart is currently able to reach 95% of U.S. households within three hours.
- With its new “Get it Now” option in the Walmart app, customers can see the approximate number of minutes it will take for the package to arrive, and then place the order with one tap.
- Improvements to its delivery speed are a point of pride for the company. “Delivery speed matters, and we’re delivering faster than ever,” Doug McMillon, Walmart’s outgoing CEO said during the retailer’s November earnings call. “For Q3, 35% of digital orders were delivered in under three hours.”
Dive Insight:
In a battle to better compete with Amazon, retailers are adding speed to the last mile, providing more rapid delivery options just in time for the holiday season.
“More people are using Express Delivery to get their items faster, and December is when it truly shines,” David Guggina, Walmart’s chief e-commerce officer, said in a statement.
Best Buy is also offering same-day delivery on Christmas Eve for select products, so long as orders placed by noon local time.
The electronics retailer, alongside Dollar General, had previously inked a partnership with Uber Eats to offer same-day delivery. Other retailers, including Old Navy, Ulta Beauty and Family Dollar, are partnering with DoorDash to get their products in consumers’ hands faster.
Seeking speed and convenience, more consumers are shopping online this holiday season, as Black Friday e-commerce sales increased 10.4% per Mastercard’s SpendingPulse, and in-store foot traffic declined 5.3% year-over-year per data from RetailNext.