We’re witnessing the delivery wars of retail. Everyone’s watching as Amazon approaches same-day delivery. Target has already reached same-day and has also launched convenient pick-up options. FedEx partnered with Dollar General to develop a special advantage when delivering to rural areas.
But that’s not FedEx’s only advantageous partnership.
Back in 2018, the mail-carrier announced that it would place 500 FedEx Office locations within select domestic Walmart stores nationwide over the following 24 months. This announcement came after completion of a successful pilot program spanning 47 locations within Walmart stores across six states.
The partnership didn’t stop there, however. Now, FedEx Office locations offer free pick-up for all Walmart deliveries. Shoppers can go to FedEx’s website to select a location. The usual shipping fee for Walmart orders still applies, but the pick-up itself is free, and this is particularly advantageous for those who do not live near a Walmart location.
Delivery times for Walmart.com purchases vary, depending on item availability and the consumer’s choice of delivery method. That said, items eligible for same-day delivery become available at the FedEx Office location within four hours of placing the order. That’s as fast as any of the retailer’s competitors. For non-same-day delivery, shoppers will receive an email notification when their order is ready for pick-up, so they won’t have to waste their time driving to their nearest FedEx Office location to check.
Interestingly, consumers can use the Walmart app for a mobile check-in option. If consumers do so, the order will be ready for them at the Fed-Ex Office location, so consumers won’t have to wait for an employee to locate the package in the store.
It’s notable that this offering includes Walmart’s grocery services. Consumers can have orders for the food items they seek delivered to a FedEx Office location that’s convenient to them. The convenience that followed Amazon’s Whole Foods acquisition hasn’t seen too much competition, but this is a relevant response from Walmart.
With the delivery wars escalating, it’s a great time to be a consumer. Customer-experience-minded marketers face a great challenge in meeting changing customer expectations—we’ve all gotten used to speedy deliveries. Today’s brands need to evolve, increasing speed and convenience. Between Target, Amazon, and now Walmart, the bar’s been set pretty high, and it’s steadily getting higher.