BENTONVILLE, AR - Walmart is welcoming an exciting addition to its offerings. Consumers looking for more efficient delivery options can breathe a sigh of relief, as the chain rolls out its new last-mile delivery pilot, Spark Delivery, which is another avenue for consumers to get their groceries delivered to their front doors. This new program is a pilot program within the established Grocery Delivery options, which provide quality fresh produce, meat, seafood, and bakery items to the retailer’s consumers.

“We’re saving customers time by leveraging new technology, and connecting all the parts of our business into a single seamless shopping experience: great stores, easy pickup, fast delivery, and apps and websites that are simple to use,” President and CEO of Walmart U.S. Greg Foran shared. “We’re serving our customers in ways that no one else can. Using our size and scale, we’re bringing the best of Walmart to customers across the country. Spark Delivery is one way we’re exploring how to get quality groceries from our door to our customers’ doors.”

What makes Walmart’s new pilot so unique is that it is a crowd-sourced delivery platform, allowing the former to learn more about the last-mile delivery process to its fullest potential. Further, the pilot allows drivers to choose windows of time that work best for their schedules—as well as Grocery Delivery order details, navigation assistance, and more—through the in-house platform. Bringg, a leader in delivery logistics technology, powers components of Spark, according to a press release, and Walmart’s personal shoppers participate in the process by shop for customers’ orders. Rounding out the entire experience is Spark Delivery’s use of independent drivers, who team up with Delivery Drivers, Inc., a nationwide firm that focuses on last-mile contractor management, to finish the delivery of orders.

Spark drivers are recruited, screened, and given background checks. Once hired, they are given payment per delivery, accounting, and other services. The drivers also become privy to order flow, group discounts, and a Contractor Entrepreneurial Program that helps drivers to establish small businesses.

“It is important to us at DDI that we help each independent driver run their transportation business correctly,” said Aaron Hageman, CEO, Delivery Drivers, Inc. “We are excited to partner with Walmart to allow them to focus on providing great products while we can build and support a professional driver network to focus on the delivery side of the business.”

Because of this new development, Walmart is able to deliver its goods to 100 metro areas, covering 40 percent of its U.S. households. Currently, the chain’s Grocery Delivery offering is available in almost 50 markets—including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Miami, and Seattle. However, this new piloting program is available in Nashville and New Orleans, with plans to release the offering to more metro areas this year.

“Our customers love Grocery Pickup and Delivery – it offers convenience paired with the everyday low prices customers expect from us,” Tom Ward, VP of U.S. Walmart's Digital Operations, said. “We’re always looking for the best ways to serve them, so we’re exploring a number of different options for getting groceries from our stores to the customer’s front door—some in-house, some third-party.”

Walmart’s delivery program requires a $30 minimum per order and includes a $9.95 fee, but there is no subscription and no price markups.

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