Walmart To Offer InHome Delivery To 30 Mln U.S. Households By 2022 End

(RTTNews) - Walmart Inc. announced plans to expand its InHome delivery service to 30 million U.S. households by the end of 2022 from the current availability to 6 million households.

The retail giant also plans to hire more than 3,000 associate delivery drivers this year as well as to build out a fleet of 100% all-electric delivery vans to support the expansion. Walmart said it will fill these roles by promoting its own associates from within.

Walmart's InHome delivery service, which was launched in 2019, uses highly trained associates to deliver fresh groceries and everyday essentials, as well as to pick up Walmart.com returns. They deliver items more directly into customers' homes, including placing items straight into their kitchen or garage refrigerator.

Once signed up for InHome, a customer places their order on the Walmart App and selects InHome as their preferred delivery option. A highly trained InHome associate then completes the delivery by using a one-time access code to unlock the customer's door or garage through their InHome app. The app notifies the customer at every step and a camera, worn on the associates' vest, records the entire delivery.

The InHome Delivery service, which is the newest delivery option, is $19.95 per month or $148 per year, with no additional fees, including tips which are built into the membership price. Customers can extend one-time access to their InHome associate using an existing smart lock, a garage keypad, or by purchasing a new smart lock from InHome for $49.95.

Tom Ward, senior vice president, last mile at Walmart U.S., said, "We've been operating InHome in select markets over the last two years and have found it is a perfect solution for customers who want to live their lives without worrying about making it to the store or being home to accept a delivery."

The implementation of the all-electric delivery vans are expected to support the company's goal of operating a zero-emissions logistics fleet by 2040, as well as its growing infrastructure of 1,396 EV charging stations at stores and clubs across 41 states.

Walmart also offers delivery and Express delivery on 160,000+ items from more than 3,400 Walmart stores, reaching 70% of the U.S. Population.

According to the company, around 220 million customers and members visit around 10,500 stores and clubs globally each week.