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Walmart debuts Alphabot to drive grocery business

Photo by istock.com

February 27, 2020

Walmart is formally debuting Alphabot, a platform that speeds up the pick, pack and delivery of online grocery orders, after piloting the system at a Walmart Supercenter in New Hampshire.

The retailer, after further testing, will rollout the platform on a broad basis in the U.S., according to a CNBC report.

"Groceries [are] playing a great role in e-commerce growth," Tom Ward, senior vice president of central operations, told CNBC. "We're seeing that customers really enjoy using the service and that's why we keep trying to innovate in the space. ... We're really pleased with what we’ve seen in the last 12 months."

The technology platform was created by Alert Innovation, a startup that has been working with the retailer for four years.

During its last earnings report the retailer cited its grocery business growth as instrumental in boosting it online sales. Walmart currently has over 3,000 pickup sites for online grocery orders along with 1,400 pickup towers and stores providing same-day grocery delivery, according to the report.

Walmart plans to build two more Alphabot facilities, in Oklahoma and California.