Walmart, Instacart Partner On Same-Day Delivery To Battle Amazon’s Whole Foods

Instacart

Walmart Inc. and Instacart have teamed up to offer same-day delivery in select U.S. markets as the battle against Amazon and Whole Foods Market intensifies, CNBC reported.

The service is being tested in four California and Oklahoma markets and solidifies the San Francisco-based grocery delivery and pickup service in the U.S.

Quick delivery puts supermarket chains in a stronger position against Amazon, which offers Amazon Fresh and Amazon Prime Now grocery delivery services from its warehouses and Whole Foods stores.

“Today, we welcomed Walmart to the Instacart marketplace for the first time in the U.S. Instacart now delivers from Walmart locations in three California markets, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, as well as Tulsa, Oklahoma,” an Instacart spokesperson told the network in a statement. “The new partnership brings thousands of items — from groceries, alcohol and pantry staples to home decor and improvement, personal care, electronics and more at everyday low prices from Walmart stores to customers’ doors in as fast as an hour.”

This is not the first time Instacart has partnered with a grocer.

It already makes deliveries with Aldi, Target, Costco, Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart’s Sam’s Club, as well as Mom and Pop grocers and drugstores.

Three years ago, Instacart debuted its services in Canada. In 2018, it signed on with Walmart Canada for 17 stores in Winnipeg and Toronto.

Last month, PYMNTS reported online grocery sales grew more than 9 percent, to a record of $7.2 billion. That’s up from $6.6 billion in May.

The growth comes from a 16 percent increase in the total number of orders during June. There were 85 million made in June, up from 73.5 million from May. In addition, there was strong spending per order, $84 on average in June and $90 in May.