Walmart plans to increase the number of local fulfillment centers in the United States, it announced Wednesday. Walmart’s approach to more localized fulfillment centers is a direct parallel to Amazon’s strategy, as both companies continue to face the growing demand for online orders. The new delivery centers are warehouses that will be built inside or near its existing retail premises.
Walmart’s first fulfillment center opened in Salem, New Hampshire in 2019 when the retail giant launched the concept. These warehouses use wheel robots – called Alphabots – to pull items off the shelves and prepare orders to be placed online.
Alphabots will pick up items ordered online, such as boxes or frozen items. However, the company said its human employees will still have the task of grabbing fresh produce such as meat and produce in addition to larger items.
Walmart is launching new technologies for some of its fulfillment centers, such as an automated pickup feature that allows shoppers or delivery managers to drive to a specific location, scan a code, grab their order and go, all without their vehicles.
Walmart has not yet said which sites will receive add-ons for the performance center, but the company announced in its blog post that it is already “planning dozens of locations, with many more.”