Walmart boosts investment in GoLocal delivery-as-a-service platform

Retail giant Walmart is continuing to invest in its white-label parcel delivery service, showing off that product with a splashy exhibit at the National Retail Federation (NRF)’s annual trade show on Monday, just a week after announcing it had linked the service to cloud commerce software powerhouse Salesforce.

The exhibit had its own booth at NRF’s “Big Show,” which features retail technologies ranging from the futuristic—contactless checkout stores and talking holograms—to the functional—like robotic automation for material handling, barcode scanners for automatic identification (AutoID), and data analytics for demand forecasting. Like many other trade shows, the event went virtual during the early pandemic days of 2021, and attracted a fraction of its usual foot traffic during the omicron surge of 2022. But the 2023 edition boasted bustling crowds and packed sessions.

Walmart first launched its “GoLocal” delivery-as-a-service offering in 2021, allowing retailers to use the software platform to access Walmart’s network of gig-based delivery drivers or to manage curbside pickup operations, thus turning their brick and mortar shops into omnichannel stores. Within three months, Walmart had landed building goods vendor The Home Depot as a major client for that same-day and next-day delivery planning tool. And by the third quarter of 2022, it had passed one million deliveries completed through the service.

Last week, Walmart said a new partnership would enable retailers using Salesforce’s B2C Commerce and Order Management software products to link to its software too, providing them with “frictionless” local pickup and delivery service.

Under the deal, Walmart Commerce Technologies and Walmart GoLocal are now available through Salesforce AppExchange. That partnership lets retailers use the Walmart Commerce Technologies “Store Assist” app to leverage their local stores as fulfillment centers. With Store Assist, retailers can optimize in-store fulfillment by increasing picking accuracy and speed, and then support a smooth handoff between employees and customers—for buy online and pickup in-store (BOPIS)—or between employees and third-party delivery drivers. And with Walmart GoLocal, retailers gain access to white-label, delivery-as-a-service technology to power a smooth delivery experience for their customers.

“Retailers are looking for ways to improve cost efficiency while meeting their customers’ needs, no matter where or how they choose to shop. Fulfillment from stores is an effective way to achieve these goals and serve customers quickly and reliably through local delivery,” Harsit Patel, vice president and general manager of Walmart GoLocal, said in a release. “We look forward to connecting more retailers with the customizable, local delivery solutions they need.”