Retail Dive: Walmart Makes 2-Hour Delivery Available for All Purchases

(Image Source: Walmart)

Walmart first introduced the 2-hour delivery last year since the Covid-19 pandemic prevented consumers from patronizing physical stores. At first, only orders with a minimum purchase of $35 were eligible for this Express delivery service. Aware of the demand for express delivery in critical situations, Walmart recently dropped the $35 minimum purchase requirements. 

“Customers told us sometimes the items they needed in a hurry didn’t meet the minimum, so we’re removing it, making it even easier for customers to get what they need when they need it,” according to Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product.

Express delivery is available at almost 3,000 Walmart stores and a team of 170,000 staff is in charge of picking up shoppers’ orders. Customers will have to pay an additional $10 on top of existing delivery charges to use the 2-hour delivery service but Walmart+ subscribers won’t have to pay an additional delivery fee. 

The launch of a rapid service pit Walmart against Amazon Prime Now, which has been a strong advantage of the e-commerce giant. Another competition is between Walmart+ and the Prime loyalty program. With just $98 a year, subscribers will have access to the next-day and 2-day shipping service for free. The delivery service is the focal point of these programs. However, Amazon’s membership offers extra benefits like Prime Video and other goodies. According to a Consumer Intelligence Research Partners analysis, over 8 million people have subscribed to Walmart+ since the program set in motion last fall.

Source: Walmart drops $35 minimum purchase for 2-hour delivery

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