Retail giant Walmart Inc. is testing a service that will store and ship products for third-party vendors, something that mega-retailer Amazon has done for over a decade. Currently Walmart only uses its vast logistics infrastructure to supply its own stores. The move by Walmart would not only allow it to compete for online sales against Amazon, it would generate revenue from Walmart’s eCommerce operations, helping the company stem losses from that part of its business. Walmart’s eCommerce losses might be as much as $1.7B this year, Bloomberg reports, citing Morgan Stanley estimates. Walmart’s U.S. eCommerce CEO Marc Lore said at the Code Commerce 2019 conference last week that the fee-based service, called Fulfilled by Walmart, was being tested, but he didn’t offer details about the location of the test or any timetable for its expansion. As of 2017, there were 173 Walmart and Sam’s Club distribution centers nationwide, totaling about 125.8 msf, according to MWPVL International. Shipping other merchants’ goods for a fee isn’t the only new logistical strategy that Walmart is rolling out. Also last week, the company announced plans to expand its Delivery Unlimited — a grocery delivery membership option for customers — to 1,400 stores later this fall. The program gives customers the option to pay an annual $98 fee or a monthly $12.95 fee to receive unlimited same-day grocery delivery orders. Customers will still have the option to pay a per-delivery fee, without a membership.
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