Walmart makes definitive announcement that could change the supermarket business model and commerce as we know it today
Walmart has made a major announcement about the future of its product-delivery processes, with most of the U.S. poised to benefit.
The head of Walmart has pledged that the retail giant will offer ultra-rapid product shipment to almost all Americans by the close of 2025.
“Moving with speed”
“We’re moving with speed,” Walmart’s president and CEO, Doug McMillon, said in a letter to shareholders late last month. “By the end of this year, in the U.S., we’ll deliver to 95 percent of the population in under three hours.”
McMillon said the grocery and department-store chain, which registered $121bn in e-commerce sales last year, is stepping up its delivery capabilities by boosting its technological prowess in areas such as automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
“We are more tech-powered than we’ve ever been,” McMillon said. “We’re building and deploying today’s technologies, including AI, in its various forms, and automated storage and retrieval systems in our distribution and fulfillment centers.”
McMillon added: “We have positioned ourselves to serve people how they want to be served whether that’s through an eCommerce order they have delivered, curbside pick up, or a visit to a store or a Sam’s Club [membership warehouse].
“[...] Becoming even more convenient for our customers and members, along with our everyday low prices and a growing eCommerce assortment is driving our business.”
McMillon’s comments came as Walmart released its annual financial report, which revealed that the Arkansas-based company experienced 5.1% in revenue growth between February 2024 and the end of January 2025.
“I like our position”
Amid Donald Trump’s policy of sweeping import tariffs - notably, the U.S. president has announced 145% levies on goods from China, a country that supplies Walmart with many products - McMillon appeared to acknowledge the challenges posed by the current economic climate.
However, he insisted: “While we know we’re not immune to the effects of the changing environment we’re in today, I like our position. I wouldn’t trade hands with anyone because of our people, our purpose and culture, our unique assets, and our ability to change.”
“Working hard to keep prices low”
This week, a Walmart spokesperson told Axios that the company is “working hard to keep prices as low on as many products as possible” despite the impact of tariffs.
The world’s largest company by revenue - it has topped the Fortune Global 500 list every year for just over a decade - Walmart has 4,600 stores in the U.S. In addition to its e-commerce websites for domestic and international customers, the retailer has a further 5,500 in-person locations outside of America.
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