Walmart wants to restock its customers' groceries before they realize they're running low as it beefs up its in-home delivery service

Lisa Baertlein/Reuters

"We're on the leading edge of something really big here," Walmart's Marc Lore told analysts.

• Walmart is looking to add further innovations to its in-home grocery delivery service.
• So far, the program is only available in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Vero Beach, Florida.
• On Tuesday, Walmart e-commerce CEO Marc Lore told analysts at the company's investment community event that Walmart is looking to add a few "enhancements" to the program.
• Those enhancements could include options like an automatic restocking feature to anticipate consumers' needs, as well as no-box delivery.
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Walmart is hopeful that its in-home delivery program will win over customers and change the nature of weekly shopping forever, executives said at the company's recent investment community event.

Walmart e-commerce CEO Marc Lore spoke to analysts about the company's in-home delivery program on Tuesday, which rolled out in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Vero Beach, Florida, in 2019. The program allows Walmart associates to deliver grocery products straight into participating consumers' fridges.

"We're on the leading edge of something really big here," Lore said. "In-home is a powerful and effortless experience and we want to grow it."

"Customers who've tried it already love it," he added.

According to Lore, Walmart's e-commerce team is looking to add "enhancements" to the service, like automatic delivery that would allow the company to restock items "before you even realize you're running low." Other innovations could include adding no-box delivery and returns.

Lore said that options like in-home delivery represent Walmart's latest "opportunity to hook customers on the convenience" of e-commerce services, including same-day delivery and pickup. He said Walmart is "playing offense" through its experimentation and focus on e-commerce fulfillment, setting the company up "to become the primary destination for all weekly shopping."

CEO Doug McMillon said that customers who rely on e-commerce options like pickup and delivery spend twice as much as store-only shoppers. He said that by providing consumers a "seamless" omnichannel experience through options like in-home delivery, the retailer will cultivate customer loyalty.

"Customers will start to think of us like a membership service where we make sure the items they use all the time are available in their homes," McMillon said.

He also said that may mean anticipating shoppers' needs ahead of time.

"When it's our job to forecast their demand and keep them in stock, it's not as important to deliver in a day or an hour," McMillon said. "It's just required that their items be there when they need them. Price will matter. Our supply chain will support that strategy."

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