Walmart, Salesforce Boost Frictionless Local Pickups

Walmart Commerce Technologies, Walmart GoLocal and Salesforce announced a partnership that will allow retailers to offer frictionless pickup and delivery. Retailers will be able to use Buy Online and Pick Up In-Store (BIOPS) services, manage local deliveries and increase efficiency and profitability across the omnichannel shopping journey. 

“With the combined power of Walmart and Salesforce, retailers can drive success with best-in-class technology to advance their omnichannel capabilities, drive efficiency and ensure that every purchase quickly gets into the hands of the shopper no matter where they are,” says Rob Garf, Vice President and General Manager of Retail, Salesforce.  

The software will allow retailers to offer in-store and online experiences, an increasingly necessary capability that retailers must incorporate as the separation between the physical and digital worlds becomes blurry. “Shoppers continue to expect brands to deliver highly connected and frictionless experiences across physical and digital touchpoints. In fact, one in five online orders placed the weekend before Christmas were picked up in store,” added Garf. 

“Physical stores are not going to die. This over dimensioned fear that arose during the pandemic is not real,” said Benjamín Santa María, Co-Founder and CEO, Reversso, in MBF 2022.

With Store Assist retailers will increase picking efficiency, providing better experiences to customers or delivery drivers. Walmart GoLocal will provide scalable local delivery solutions to customers, granting them access to same-day delivery under a white-label experience. Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Order Management will allow retailers to manage their customers’ omnichannel shopping experience in one platform. 

“Retailers are looking for ways to improve cost efficiency while meeting their customers’ needs, no matter where or how they choose to shop. Fulfillment from stores is an effective way to achieve these goals and serve customers quickly and reliably through local delivery,” said Harsit Patel, Vice President and General Manager, Walmart GoLocal.

A strategy that addresses both physical and digital stores can become a window of opportunity to create an evolving brand image. “Together with Salesforce, retailers can scale their business and deliver the personalized, convenient experiences shoppers expect,” said Anshu Bhardwaj, Senior Vice President, Technology Strategy and Commercialization, Walmart Global Technology. 

“There is no longer an online world and an offline world; they have already irrevocably merged into a single entity in the customer's mind and only those who adapt to the continually changing customer will succeed into the future,” said Kelly Kroger, CEO, C&A Mexico. In Mexico, “consumers increasingly appreciate being able to buy online and pick up at a store. These types of options for all sales processes are the ones that are leading purchase decisions,” said Francisco Álvarez, CCO and Co-Founder, Getin, to MBN.