Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, so clearly Walmart's decision to test the use of lockers in its stores for pick-up of online orders is a compliment to Amazon.com, which has done something similar at 7-Eleven and Staples. According to reports, Walmart will begin the test this summer.
Speaking of imitation, Walmart, similarly to Macy's, has also begun a pilot shipping online orders from a small number of stores.
"Is it really efficient to use our stores. We've been picking and putting items in boxes for years," Joel Anderson, chief executive of Walmart.com, told Reuters. "Ship from store is no different. We are picking items from the shelves and putting them in a box."
This year, according to Reuters, Walmart plans to ship orders from 50 or so locations. Macy's plans to ship orders from 500 of its stores by year-end.
Walmart recently held its first media day to introduce a number of its e-commerce initiatives including a new search engine that can handle the tremendous increase in product selection the retailer has planned for its site. Currently, Walmart.com offers about two million items for sale.
"We are demonstrating we can build whatever any other e-commerce company can do, and combine that with the world's largest retailer to provide a commerce experience no one else can provide," Neil Ashe, president and CEO of Walmart Global eCommerce, told reporters, according to Internet Retailer.
- Wal-Mart to test in-store lockers for online deliveries - Reuters
- Staples Becoming Amazon's Locker Room - RetailWire
- Amazon Locks Up Customers with In-Store Pickups - RetailWire
- Amazon and 7-Eleven in Drop-Off Location Test - RetailWire
- Macy's Stores Counter Amazon's Logistics Edge - RetailWire
- Wal-Mart: ‘We can do what no one else does' - Internet Retailer