Chico’s introduces two-hour delivery – with help from Walmart
Walmart’s white label Go Local delivery service is adding its first apparel retail client.
In time for the holiday rush, Chico’s FAS is enabling customers across its Chico's, White House Black Market, and Soma banners to have online orders delivered to their homes in as little as two hours. Two months after The Home Depot became the first retailer to sign on with GoLocal, Chico’s is partnering with Walmart for same-day delivery in select markets including Chicago, Illinois, and Fort Myers, Fla., with plans to expand into other markets in 2022.
Same-day delivery via Walmart GoLocal is the latest omnichannel offering from Chico’s. In December 2020, the company partnered with delivery platform Roadie to provide same-day delivery in as little as four hours at 97% of its stores.
In addition, as the retailer began shuttering stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, it provided store managers with handheld devices containing proprietary styling software, called Style Connect that enabled them to communicate directly with the majority of its customers to drive the frontline business to digital fulfillment. Chico’s has continued to leverage Style Connect to increase sales as part of its omnichannel “post-COVID-19 operating model.”
With the October 2021 launch of GoLocal delivery, Walmart began taking on the likes of Instacart and DoorDash. The discount giant is building the new service on the existing infrastructure supporting the Express Delivery same-day delivery service it rolled out in 2020. This includes drones, autonomous vehicles and market fulfillment centers.
The GoLocal delivery-as-a-service offering includes nationwide delivery capabilities on a range of products, including those with size and complex requirements, as well as the flexibility to meet varying timelines. Walmart said it plans to rapidly expand GoLocal to offer additional services.
“Getting our customer what she wants, when she wants it, is another step in our ‘digital first’ customer centricity transformation,” said Molly Langenstein, CEO, Chico’s FAS. “Whether delivering a last-minute black dress, pair of pajamas or a new pair of jeans, partnering with Walmart GoLocal offers a convenient delivery option and yet another way we’re able to deliver on our promise of bringing women confidence and joy.”