Home Depot becomes first Walmart GoLocal customer

Home improvement retail giant The Home Depot plans to use Walmart’s six-week-old GoLocal delivery service to help fulfill online orders.

In the coming weeks, Atlanta-based Home Depot is slated to offer Walmart GoLocal same-day or next-day service as another delivery option in selected markets, the companies said Wednesday. Customers will see the GoLocal delivery option enabled at checkout for eligible products, such as tools, fasteners, paint and other home supplies that easily fit in a car. 

Plans call for Home Depot and Walmart to expand GoLocal service to more markets nationwide by the year’s end.

“We’re honored to work with The Home Depot in our shared goal of making fast and reliable local delivery available in every community we serve, including rural and suburban areas, where we both have a strong retail presence,” Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome The Home Depot as Walmart GoLocal’s first retail client and look forward to helping power their local delivery efforts.” 

Home Deport reported 86% digital sales growth in fiscal 2020, with more than half of online orders fulfilled via stores. The company said it moved a record 1.2 billion cubic feet of products through its delivery network, contributing to sales of $132.1 billion for the year. 

Related:Walmart kicks off delivery service for other businesses

Walmart GoLocal will be offered as a delivery option at Home Depot for products such as tools, fasteners, paint and other home supplies that easily fit in a car. 

On the e-commerce front, Home Depot noted that it’s building a delivery network to be able to offer customers same-or next-day delivery “no matter the product or project,” ranging from a box of nails and décor items to big-and-bulky shipments such as lumber, drywall or appliances. All of the chain’s stores offer click-and-collect service — with pickup at a service desk, a locker or curbside — plus scheduled delivery, in which customers can designate the day that their project materials are delivered to their home or worksite. 

Overall, Home Depot operates 2,300 stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.

“The Home Depot is continuously working to give customers the most convenient shopping experience in home improvement, and that includes providing a wide range of fast and reliable delivery options,” stated Stephanie Smith, senior vice president of supply chain for Home Depot. “This partnership brings us even closer to our goal of offering same-day or next-day delivery to 90% of the U.S. population.” 

Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart announced GoLocal in late August as a third-party e-commerce and logistics service for small, midsize and large businesses, including retailers.

Related:Walmart offers its e-commerce know-how to other retailers

Leveraging Walmart’s scale and logistics and technology expertise, the white-label solution provides API integration with the business client’s e-commerce front end and a platform for express, scheduled and unscheduled deliveries, and the service bears the customer’s brand. Potential GoLocal users include companies seeking peer-to-peer delivery, small businesses and leading national retailers, Walmart said. Products that can be delivered run the gamut of consumer goods, from groceries and general merchandise to oversize items and offerings with complex requirements, according to the company.