Walmart’s quiet move takes aim at surprising consumer shift | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Walmart may have thought it was sneakily testing a secret weapon to defeat the competition, but its latest move has been revealed.

Amazon (AMZN) has taken over the fast-delivery game to become one of the top e-commerce giants, making huge investments in getting products to consumers nearly anywhere and at record speed.

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Walmart, one of the largest retail giants, has tried to compete with e-commerce rivals by expanding its online business, as it expects to reach profitability this year.

To achieve this goal, the company has upgraded its supply-chain facilities, implemented a third-party marketplace to widen its range of products and categories, and developed various delivery and pick-up services.

It also created its subscription-based membership, Walmart+, to encourage customers to choose Walmart when purchasing, and recently launched a pharmacy delivery service to provide more options for flexible shopping.

Now the retail giant is testing a new way to speed up its delivery as it looks to become the top contender.

Walmart tests a new innovation to provide faster delivery.

Image Source&colon; Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Walmart tests a new way to provide faster delivery

Walmart (WMT) is reportedly testing “dark stores,” which are small warehouses that contain the same products sold at the retailer but aren’t open to the public. Some might call them the retail version of ghost kitchens.

The company has already opened a pilot location in Dallas, Texas, and plans to open another one at its home base in Bentonville, Arkansas. If successful, an even larger expansion will be explored, as first reported by Bloomberg.

This test aims to enhance customer experience by adapting to consumers’ demand for faster delivery. These dark stores would allow Walmart to cover a larger delivery radius, increasing its reach to get orders to consumers quicker.

The company had tried a similar idea by opening various warehouses in 2010, but closed them during the Covid pandemic.

Walmart notices a major consumer trend it plans to profit from

Over the last quarter, Walmart has noticed customers’ willingness to pay extra for expedited delivery, despite a consumer slowdown in the global retail sector.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2026, the company’s global e-commerce business grew 22%, with the number of deliveries in less than three hours up 91% in the U.S. sector compared to last year.

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Notably, its express delivery option accounted for around a third of all orders.

“Delivery speed continues to help drive our business. We’ll soon reach 95% of the population in the U.S. with delivery options of three hours or less,” said Walmart CEO C. Douglas McMillon in an earnings call.