Gloves Come Off in Walmart vs. Amazon Over 2-Day Shipping

According to major new sources, Walmart is piloting a jazzed up subscription shipping program that will guarantee delivery within two days instead of three.

The goal?   Most agree the traditional retailer is ready to go head-to-head with online giant, Amazon.

Walmart  said that it’s tweaking its ShippingPass service, which launched last year, and will guarantee subscribers that they will receive their purchases within two days.  At the same time, it is reducing the annual fee from $50 to $49.  OK, that price drop is hardly jaw dropping.

Still, when compared to Amazon Prime, Walmart ShippingPass is roughly half the price, with the same delivery time. However, it doesn’t include other benefits that Prime members have, such as streaming music and movies, reports TechCrunch.

For Wallmart, making it happen will be new e-commerce centers across the U.S to ensure faster delivery, the company says. An eighth facility is set to open by the end of 2016 in Florida.

The pilot program could set up Walmart, the biggest retailer in the world, to better challenge Amazon, which has a paid subscription service of its own. Amazon’s Prime promises goods to members within two days for a $99 annual fee.

Category: Featured