(Video courtesy Walmart)
Shoppers in three cities will soon have the option to try out Walmart’s new InHome Delivery service.
Walmart describes the offering as a way for shoppers to enjoy the convenience of grocery delivery even when they are not home — and they can watch on a smartphone as a Walmart employee enters their residence and puts away their grocery order in the refrigerator.
“It’s also exciting how leveraging our stores and amazing associates for services like this opens up more possibilities in the future,” Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart’s e-commerce business in the U.S., said in a news release. “For example, later this year, InHome will also accept returns for items purchased on Walmart.com. Customers can just leave them on the counter and their InHome Delivery associate will return the items on their behalf.”
Walmart employees providing the service will be wearing a proprietary camera — that is how shoppers will be able to observe deliveries.
According to the company, employees will use “smart entry technology” to access homes, but Walmart did not say whether that technology is something homeowners will need to acquire before using the service. Walmart also did not include in its release how much using the InHome Delivery service will cost.
Shoppers in Kansas City, Mo., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Vero Beach, Fla., will have the option to try out the service this fall.
InHome Delivery is the latest development in the company’s much broader e-commerce efforts. It plans to have grocery pickup from 3,100 stores and same-day grocery delivery from 1,600 stores by the end of the year.
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