Walmart enlists DoorDash for online grocery delivery

Bulking up its e-commerce capabilities, Walmart is expanding its Online Grocery Delivery program via a partnership with DoorDash, a San Francisco-based on-demand delivery service.

Walmart said Tuesday that DoorDash-powered online grocery delivery will initially launch in the Atlanta metropolitan area and then roll out to more markets in the coming months.

Under the collaboration, Walmart’s team of more than 18,000 personal shoppers and DoorDash “Dashers” will enable thousands of Atlanta-area shoppers to order fresh produce, meat, seafood and bakery items, pantry staples, consumables and seasonal general merchandise online and have the products delivered as soon as the same day.

Customers in Atlanta place their orders online at Walmart.com/grocery or through the Walmart Grocery App, switch to the “Delivery” tab and select a delivery window at checkout. Once Walmart personal shoppers have collected the groceries ordered, a DoorDash Dasher picks up the order from a Walmart store and delivers it to the customer during the designated time frame.

Walmart’s Online Grocery Delivery costs $9.95 for a $30 minimum order. The retailer is offering customers free delivery for their first order via promo code FRESHCAR with a $50 minimum order.

DoorDash marks the latest online delivery partner for Walmart as it battles Amazon in the retail grocery arena. Two weeks ago, Walmart unveiled a partnership with the Postmates network, launching online grocery delivery in Charlotte, N.C., with plans to broaden the service to additional areas. And in late February, Walmart’s Sam’s Club warehouse club chain began same-day grocery delivery through Instacart in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and St. Louis. That service also is slated for expansion to more markets in the coming months. The retail giant also works with Uber and Deliv for grocery delivery.

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Walmart has said that by the end of the year it aims to reach over 40% of U.S. households with online grocery delivery service. In addition, the retailer offers a curbside service in which customers can order groceries online and pick them up at stores without having to leave their cars. Plans call for curbside pickup to become available to another 1,000 stores this year, adding to the 1,200 stores — and nearly 30 in Atlanta — that currently offer it.

“We’re connecting all the parts of our business to create a shopping experience like no one else can. With the expansion of our Online Grocery Delivery program, customers can have great items at everyday low prices delivered to their door with the click of a button,” Walmart U.S. president and chief executive officer Greg Foran said in a statement. “With the help of DoorDash, we’re delivering the best of Walmart to customers in Atlanta and beyond.”

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For DoorDash, the partnership will Walmart brings the company’s door-to-door service into the grocery realm. DoorDash provides the key “last-mile” delivery infrastructure for retailers and local and national businesses in more than 650 cities across the United States and Canada.

“Our work with Walmart marks DoorDash’s official launch beyond restaurant delivery,” DoorDash chief operating officer Christopher Payne stated. “We look forward to expanding across the country, enabling Walmart customers everywhere to spend more time doing the things they love.”