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The competition for home delivery within 30 minutes is fierce.
Walmart announced on May 28 that it will expand its 30-minute delivery service. Initially available in seven cities, this expedited service is now available in 33 cities across the United States.
The news comes two weeks after rival Amazon announced plans to expand its 30-minute delivery service to dozens more cities and more by the end of the year.
“Customers want faster and easier ways to get what they need in the moments that matter,” Tracy Polliot, Walmart US chief e-commerce officer, said in a press release. “We’ve been delivering orders within 30 minutes for over a year, and now 26% of our express deliveries already arrive within that time frame.”
Demand for “need it now” is increasing
Walmart said the availability of 30-minute delivery “builds on Walmart’s long-term convenience strategy and broader expedited delivery services as customer demand for a faster, smoother shopping experience continues to grow.”
Walmart says customers can shop from more than 100,000 eligible items, including groceries, groceries, baby products, cold and flu medicine, household supplies, pet food, electronics, prescription delivery and more.
The company said it completed “millions of deliveries” within 30 minutes to more than 19,000 zip codes across the country in the first quarter of this year.
“We’re seeing a trend in ‘need it now’ items across categories, reflecting the variety of ways customers are using expedited delivery for immediate needs and last-minute situations,” Walmart said in a statement. The retailer said this includes items such as batteries, party supplies, dog food and last-minute meal solutions.
Neil Saunders, a retail analyst at research and analysis firm GlobalData, said fast shipping will be the new battleground.
“Such speeds are not always necessary, but consumers prefer this option in case they urgently need a product,” Sanders told USA TODAY. “Retailers who do not offer this service therefore not only lose their urgent mandate, but also run the risk of directing their customers to other platforms for another purchase.
“Walmart and Amazon are both competing in e-commerce, and each is working hard to avoid gaining an advantage over the other,” he said.
Where is delivery possible within 30 minutes?
The service was initially available in seven cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Tampa, and Salt Lake City.
It is now available in 33 of these cities, with further expansion opportunities coming soon, Walmart said. In markets where the service is available for an address, customers will see “Delivery within 30 minutes” on the Walmart website or app.
- Allentown, Pennsylvania
- atlanta
- austin
- Bozeman, Montana
- Cape Coral – Fort Myers, Florida
- chicago
- dallas
- denver
- Dover, Delaware
- Eureka, California
- Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Freeport, Illinois
- houston
- kalispell, montana
- lincoln, nebraska
- Merced, California
- minneapolis
- Modesto, California
- Naples, Florida
- oklahoma city
- Orlando, Florida
- philadelphia
- phoenix
- Reading, Pennsylvania
- Sacramento, California
- Salisbury, Maryland
- salt lake city
- st louis
- tampa
- Ukiah, California
- Vallejo, California
- Warner Robins (Georgia)
- York, Pennsylvania
Walmart+ members can enjoy 30-minute delivery for just $10. Customers also have the option of express delivery (within 1 hour), on-demand (as little as 3 hours), and scheduled delivery (choose the delivery window that best fits your schedule).
Prior to the expansion announcement, during Walmart’s May 21 earnings call, Walmart executive vice president and chief financial officer John David Rainey said that U.S. sales using store fulfillment have more than doubled over the past two years. More than 36% of orders were delivered within three hours in the first quarter, giving retailers the potential to deliver to approximately 60% of the U.S. population within 30 minutes.
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her at @blinfisher on X, Facebook and Instagram and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky.. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, breaking down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.
