Walmart said Wednesday it plans to expand its use of high-tech systems that quickly pick and pack online grocery orders as it anticipates shoppers’ demand for pickup and delivery will outlast the pandemic.
Dozens of Walmart’s stores will become fulfillment centers, with a portion of those stores turned into small, automated warehouses, the company said. To accomplish this, Walmart will use a store’s existing footprint or add to it.
Walmart began testing one system called Alphabot at its Salem, New Hampshire store in 2019, and it immediately saw results. The system allowed the retailer to pick orders within minutes and have them ready for a customer within an hour of placing the order.
Source: CNBC