Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) introduced a robot called Alphabot on Wednesday to revolutionize the grocery shopping for the customers. Technology is advancing and allows the customers of Walmart to choose their favorite groceries, and the robot quickly picks up the items and packs them and instantly delivers.
Walmart to maintain its lead in the US
Alphabot allows Walmart to pick, pack, and deliver the items on receiving online orders from customers. It is hassle-free and quick. The company has introduced the new technology weapon in Salem, to begin with after testing for almost six months. It has incorporated changes after the test and plans to roll out the new weapon across the US soon.
In an interview with CNBC, Senior Vice President (Central Operations) of Walmart, Tom Ward Said groceries are playing a vital role in the growth of e-commerce. The customers enjoy using their services in the past 12 months. Walmart improved the retail space to reduce shopping time, eliminate manual pickup, and introduced automatic pickup, packing, and delivery instantly.
The online grocery business is flourishing
Walmart is experiencing a rapid increase in the online grocery business. Grocery sales contribute 56% of the overall sales for the retailer in the US. According to Walmart, the grocery business helped the company to report a 41% increase in online sales in the recent quarter. Its total revenues surged to $127.99 billion (up 2.5%) when compared to the same period last year. The company is investing in technology to enthuse the customers’ shop for food online.
3,100 pickup locations across the US
Walmart maintains 3,100 pickup locations across the US for online grocery orders. Over 1,400 stores are offering grocery delivery on the same day. It also established 1,400 pickup towers for the shoppers.
The customers can opt for unlimited deliveries for an annual fee of $98 from 1,400 locations in the US. Walmart is also testing the delivery of groceries to the refrigerators for a monthly fee of $19.95 in three cities in the US.
Alert Innovation, a Massachusetts based startup, has developed Alphabot for Walmart. The robot can work in the space of 20,000 Sq. Ft. It can retrieve frozen goods, refrigerated items, and shelf-stable foods to fulfill online orders. After the automated carts are filled, it sends that carts to designated workstations where a Walmart employee checks for correctness. It works efficiently and quickly.
