Following its $3 billion acquisition of Jet.com in 2016, Walmart is relaunching the site today with new features that signify its efforts to take on retail giants like Amazon. The rebranded Jet.com is now focusing on appealing to shoppers in major metro cities like New York where their shopping experience will be tailored with localized imagery and messages, and, most significantly, three-hour deliveries. It’s another play in Walmart’s book to dethrone Amazon as the top retail giant, a direct challenge to Amazon Prime Now’s same-day grocery delivery.
Deliveries in New York will be fulfilled through Parcel, the same-day, last-mile delivery company that Walmart acquired in 2017. Not to be outdone by Alexa, Jet.com is adding iOS voice activation so shoppers can use Siri to build grocery lists through the mobile app. Shoppers will also be given personalized product recommendations based on previous orders and reorder suggestions based on restocking predictions.
“Siri, add bananas to my grocery list.”
The relaunch took place today just as Walmart announced the acquisition of another delivery service, Cornershop. The service, which offers on-demand delivery of groceries from retailers in Mexico and Chile, was acquired for $225 million today. It’s just one move of many for the traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to make its way into the tech space.