If you have a good thing going, why not share it with others? This is exactly what Walmart is doing with GoLocal, a relatively new offering allowing businesses of all sizes to tap into Walmart’s “last mile” delivery resources.

The service commenced in August 2021 as the retail giant seeks to compete with a similar service from Amazon called Flex.

Walmart GoLocal provides:

• White-label delivery
• Extensive U.S. coverage, particularly suburban/rural areas
• Speed and cost efficiency
• Flexible delivery options, including express (which promises delivery in two hours or less), scheduled, same-day, and big and bulky

WHITE-LABEL DELIVERY

By enrolling in Walmart GoLocal, businesses can offer fast, white-label delivery. “White-label” means the shipping is arranged through the merchant’s application, so all communication has the merchant’s branding and company details. In fact, this is a crucial difference between GoLocal and other similar services like DoorDash and Instacart: The Walmart iteration doesn’t have its own customer-facing platform.

Take Cheesecake Factory, for instance. (One of my family’s go-to places for takeout because it has something for everyone — everyone is happy!) When I place an order for delivery, I am taken to DoorDash’s website, and away from Cheesecake Factory branding. Walmart GoLocal allows business to retain their connection with the customer as the entire transaction occurs on the merchant’s website.

GoLocal’s GM Harsit Patel said in a Supply Chain Dive article earlier this year that staying out of the way of the business/customer relationship is what differentiates them from Instacart and the like.

HOW IT WORKS

The GoLocal process is as follows: A customer orders an item off your website. From there, you may schedule deliveries on-demand via the secure GoLocal platform or your commerce platform automatically sends the delivery information to GoLocal.

Next, a driver picks up the order at your location and delivers it to the customer, and GoLocal initiates delivery feedback from your client. (The delivery is handled by gig workers procured via Walmart’s Spark Driver Program.)

EXTENSIVE U.S. COVERAGE

GoLocal serves communities around Walmart locations, which are many: 5,335 Walmart-brand stores in the U.S., to be exact. The potential customers living within 15-30 minutes from a store are plentiful. 

WHO USES GOLOCAL?

No matter what your business entails — from clothing to auto parts, groceries to oversized items — the GoLocal website says, “if you sell it, we’ll deliver it.”

GoLocal is set up for “national, regional and local merchants across a wide range of categories.” In addition, the service is used by shipping aggregators, handling deliveries from third-party warehouses and micro-fulfillment centers.

In October 2021, Home Depot signed on to be the first GoLocal retail client. Because this is a white-label delivery option, customers ordering on Home Depot’s website have most certainly used GoLocal without knowing Walmart was involved. (Home Depot’s online shoppers can see which products are eligible for delivery through Walmart GoLocal and other same-day or next-day delivery partners by looking for the “Scheduled Delivery” shipping option.)

Shortly after Home Depot signed on, Chico’s FAS became the first fashion brand to partner with Walmart GoLocal.

HOW TO BEGIN

Fill out the form near the end of the Walmart GoLocal page to get started. Once you’re underway, we can help connect the dots. Contact us to learn more: call 844-265-3777 or email info@boldvan.com.