BENTONVILLE, Ark.—Walmart announced it will increase its InHome Delivery Service program from being available to six million households to making it accessible to 30 million U.S. households by the end of 2022.
To support the expansion, Walmart plans to hire more than 3,000 associate delivery drivers this year as well as build out a fleet of 100% all-electric delivery vans. Walmart just announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that it has partnered with BrightDrop to reserve 5,000 of BrightDrop’s EV600 and smaller EV410 electric delivery vans.
“We’ve been operating InHome in select markets over the last two years and have found it is a perfect solution for customers who want to live their lives without worrying about making it to the store or being home to accept a delivery,” said Tom Ward, senior vice president, last mile at Walmart U.S. “Identifying ways to help our customers save time and money is our purpose, and nothing showcases that better than InHome delivery, which is why we’re excited to bring the convenience of InHome to even more customers in 2022.”
InHome was launched in 2019. The service delivers customers’ purchases straight into their kitchen or garage refrigerator, as well as picking up Walmart.com returns. Customers place orders via the Walmart app and select InHome as their preferred delivery option.
An InHome associate completes the delivery using a one-time access code to unlock customers’ doors or garage doors through their InHome app, which pairs with smart entry technology. The app notifies customers at every step and a camera, worn on the associates’ vest, records the entire delivery, which customers have access to from their phones for up to a week after each delivery.
InHome associates are a new, up and coming full-time position in Walmart stores, which is focused on employing highly qualified associates. InHome drivers are employed by Walmart and receive an extra $1.50/hour from most current store roles, a pay differential designed to attract top talent, says Walmart. (Walmart pays on average $16.40 in the U.S.) Walmart plans to fill the associate driver roles by promoting from within the company.
“This new role is yet another example of how technology is enabling us to offer new career opportunities that just didn’t exist a few years ago,” said Julie Murphy, executive vice president and chief people officer, Walmart U.S. “Expanding our number of InHome associates is a testament to the trust and confidence we have in them and their continuous commitment to delight our customers. There’s a path for everyone to build a career here at Walmart, and this position is further proof of that.”
Walmart also offers delivery and express delivery on 160,000+ items from more than 3,400 Walmart stores, reaching 70% of the U.S. population. Additionally, the retailer leads the industry in the trialing of sustainable and innovative delivery solutions, like drones and self-driving cars. More recently, Walmart began commercializing its nationwide delivery capabilities through Walmart GoLocal, a white-label delivery as a service business focused on providing third-party retailers and brands an affordable local delivery solution.