Same-day delivery is quickly giving way to something even faster. As consumers increasingly expect groceries and everyday essentials almost on demand, food retailers are racing to shrink the time between checkout and doorstep. Walmart, Kroger, Amazon and other major retailers are expanding rapid-delivery options—some promising orders in 30 minutes or less—as they turn their store networks, technology and last-mile partnerships into a competitive advantage. The emerging trend is raising the bar for convenience while creating new questions about fulfillment efficiency, inventory visibility and the economics of getting food to consumers faster than ever.
Walmart, the world’s largest omnichannel retailer, has upped its game to capture on-demand, fast delivery to the consumer’s doorstep. In fact, it recently announced 30-minute-or-less delivery to 33 U.S. markets.
“Speed matters, and we have a significant competitive advantage,” according to President and CEO John Furner on Walmart’s recent Q2 earnings call. “Our physical footprint, fulfillment infrastructure, and local delivery capabilities allow us to move closer to customers while maintaining an attractive cost structure.”
Customers can shop from more than 100,000 eligible items, including fresh groceries, pantry staples, and pet food, along with baby essentials, cold and flu medicine, household supplies, and prescription delivery.
Powered by Walmart’s store footprint, proximity to customers and an advanced algorithm based on basket size, driver availability and distance from the store, Walmart has significant opportunity to continue expanding delivery capabilities to more communities over time. In the first quarter of this year alone, Walmart completed millions of deliveries in 30 minutes or less to more than 19,000 zip codes across the country.
The service began in May and is available in Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, Tampa, Oklahoma City and several others, with additional expansion opportunities scheduled for the future.
Customers can choose from multiple same-day delivery options designed to fit different shopping occasions and schedules:
The 30-minute-or-less delivery service is available for a $10 fee for Walmart+ members, giving customers another convenient option across grocery, pharmacy and general merchandise. See more details from Walmart on this service.
Like many other grocers and food retailers, Walmart is seeing customer shopping behavior evolve as faster delivery options become available. When customers see items available in less than 30 minutes, shopping behavior increasingly shifts toward immediate, everyday needs and occasions.
According to Poulliot, Walmart is seeing growing demand for “need it now” purchases across multiple categories, illustrating how customers are using faster delivery to solve immediate and last-minute needs. In general merchandise, batteries and party supplies are among the items shoppers want quickly, while dog food and cold and flu medications stand out in consumables. Grocery customers, meanwhile, are turning to rapid delivery for forgotten essentials and last-minute meal needs, from coffee pods to canned goods.
As customer expectations shift, Walmart and other grocery chains and food retailers continue to invest in delivery capabilities that combine speed, assortment and convenience at scale — helping make everyday shopping simpler, more flexible and more seamless. See Last-Mile Delivery: What It Means for Food Retailers.
Other food companies leading this emerging trend include:
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