Walmart Inc. has launched its new same-day delivery service, where shoppers can order through their phones using text messages. The service is set to challenge Amazon Prime and Prime Now.
The service known as Jetblack is rolled out of Walmart’s Store No. 8 incubator. It is a member only service that will be available to applicants in New York, before expanding to whole U.S. markets.
Jetblack allows shoppers to order online from Walmart and even its rival websites.
“The goal is to think about game-changing technologies that will change the way people shop,” said Jenny Fleiss, co-founder and chief executive of Jetblack, who also co-founded popular online fashion website Rent The Runway.
The service of personalized shopping via text messaging and online chat is a massive agent of transformation in retail market. Walmart has been pouring dollars and efforts to connect with its customers online and partnering with logistics companies to deliver groceries online. Two of the partnerships have been with Uber and Lyft for fast grocery deliveries.
Jetblack is available with the monthly membership of $50, as compared to Amazon Prime which costs $12.99 per month, and will offer same-day and next-day delivery without any additional fees. According to Fleiss, the shop-via-text service has pushed shoppers who took part in the pilot program to buy ten items per week from Jetblack. Shoppers are not limited to only Walmart and Jet.com but can order from other retailers like Sephora or local brands etc.
The service is actually targeted for more affluent consumers like moms who are likely to shop from Saks, Bluemercury and Pottery Barn.
“Our eCommerce strategy has been focused on three elements: nailing the fundamentals, leveraging our unique strengths to play offense and innovating for the future,” Marc Lore, Walmart’s head of e-commerce, said in a statement about Jetblack. “Powered by conversational commerce, the future of retail will bring convenience and high-touch personalization to the forefront for consumers everywhere.”
Walmart acquired Jet.com in 2016 and aims to grow online to compete with Amazon.
