NEW YORK (AP) – Walmart is rolling out next-day delivery on its most popular
items, raising the stakes in the retail shipping wars.
The nation’s largest retailer says Tuesday it’s been building its own network
of more efficient e-commerce distribution centers to enable the faster delivery.
The move comes just two weeks after online behemoth Amazon said it’s upgrading
its free shipping option to Prime members who pay $119 a year to one-day
delivery from two-day delivery.
Analysts say Amazon needed to cut the delivery time in half to make its
membership more attractive since other retailers like Walmart had offered free
two-day deliveries without any membership.
Walmart’s stepped-up efforts will only increase pressure on other rivals that
are already investing in millions of dollars to shorten the delivery window.
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