Walmart has not launched an online grocery service but a beta test listing of thousands of products as part of the company's "search in store" function raises the question of whether the world's largest retailer will take the next step and begin offering the products for sale on its website.
The retailer, if it is planning a home delivery and/or store pickup service, isn't letting on. Ravi Jariwala of Walmart.com told the Financial Times that the company's "focus at this time is allowing customers to check availability and product details of top consumable categories sold in stores. We designed this to fit the way our customers shop and to make trips to Walmart stores more efficient and convenient."
Walmart does currently offer a "site to store" feature that allows customers to order items online and go to a store for pickup. Mr. Jariwala did not rule out that Walmart could extend this to include the new categories listed on its website.
"We will continue to evaluate our merchandise assortment to determine where we may expand," he said.
Walmart's Sam's Club currently allows customers to use its "click and pull" service to pre-order items for pick-up at its warehouse clubs. Sam's does deliver a small number of drink and snack items as part of a service offered to business customers.
Discussion Question: Do you see Walmart getting into the online grocery business? What would it mean for the competition if it did?