With the pandemic serving as a catalyst for growth, the grocery delivery market is expanding at a rapid pace that is keeping the retail industry on its toes. To further drive innovation across the sector, Walmart has announced the expansion of its InHome delivery service, which directly delivers customers’ groceries to their refrigerators while they are away.
“Grocery delivery was niche, and now it’s very mainstream,” said Whitney Pegden, Vice President and the General Manager for InHome in a statement to Bloomberg. “Now we have a large group of consumers used to it, and they’re starting to return to normal life and running into the issue of having to be home during deliveries. So, the timing is really ripe for our service.”
The InHome delivery service made its initial debut in 2019, rolling out to several cities across the U.S. According to the same article from Bloomberg, InHome will now begin serving customers in southeast Florida, Arkansas, and will expand into Atlanta, Georgia, in July.
As more consumers start to go back to work, leaving behind home offices, InHome is being marketed as a convenient way for them to still get groceries without the extra time and hassle of going to Walmart or the supermarket. Additionally, the service allows shoppers the freedom of scheduling, as they don’t have to be there to receive their orders.
InHome includes a 30-day free trial, after which the service costs $19.95 per month. Consumers who sign up will meet their delivery person before the first order, and all employees are trained on how to properly stock refrigerators. They also wear masks, gloves, booties, and body cameras which provide a live broadcast and recording of the delivery.
As other retailers like Amazon and Lidl continue to push the envelope when it comes to innovation and delivery, how will Walmart’s recent expansion change its place in the market? Deli Market News will bring you the answers.
