Walmart expands omnichannel grocery offering in Canada

Walmart is extending the reach of its online grocery pickup service in Canada.



After initially launching online grocery pickup at 11 Canadian stores in July 2015, Walmart is now offering online grocery pickup at 12 more stores in the Greater Toronto market. Orders can be placed at six stores as of Feb. 3 with first pickup Feb. 9; while orders can be placed Feb. 18 with first pickup Feb. 23 at the remaining six.



Shoppers can select grocery items online and have them ready for pickup at their local participating Walmart store at a convenient time. They then pull into a dedicated online grocery pickup parking spot, call a dedicated phone line and their order is brought outside and loaded into their vehicle in minutes. There is a $3 fee and orders can be placed up to $21 in advance.



"We know Canadians are busy – busy parents, busy professionals, and busy families – which means they are also looking for ways to save time," said Simon Rodrigue, senior VP, e-commerce, Walmart Canada. "We are thrilled to bring the convenience of our online grocery pickup service to the Greater Toronto area to give our customers a convenient way to find what they need and save money. And best of all, when it's cold and wet out there, customers using this service don't have to leave their car to pick up their order.”



Walmart has offered similar “click and collect” grocery pickup at U.S. stores since March 2015, following a successful pilot the previous month. Click and collect has become increasingly popular in the grocery vertical, with Canadian supermarket retailer Loblaw as well as U.S. chains including Kroger and Hy-Vee offering click-and-collect options.



As mass merchandiser Walmart continues to try to establish itself as a leading player in the grocery vertical in both the U.S. and Canada, keeping up with the latest omnichannel customer experience trends will be a critical factor determining its success.