Walmart Pilots New Fulfillment Machine For Order Pickup In-Store

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

New vending-type machine is designed to streamline in-store pickup of online orders.

In an effort to offer customers the most efficient fulfillment of orders placed online for in-store pickup, Walmart has announced the pilot of a new Automatic Pickup Machine (APM) at one of its Bentonville, Arkansas store. It is a giant tower that produces completed online orders, much like a traditional vending machine.

According to Connect.Media, “the massive machine houses products inside until an online order is made. Once a customer makes an online purchase, they receive an order number that they enter into the ‘vending machine’ at the store. Then, the product drops out and they’re ready to roll!”

The tower is so tall that part of the ceiling had to be removed to accommodate it, but Walmart officials say that a successful trial could mean the adoption of the APM at other stores in the future.

According to Business Insider, the APM is more versatile than pickup lockers, which have already been piloted by Walmart, because the machine can adjust compartment sizes to match packages housed within them.

Walmart Spokesman Kory Lundberg told Business Insider, “We know speed and convenience are important to our customers, and we’re always looking for new ways to bring it to them. We are excited to be one of the first companies to test this new technology and are looking forward to hearing feedback from our customers and associates.”

As customers become more channel-fluid in their purchasing behaviors, more and more retailers are offering some form of BOPIS capability. In fact, recent research from Retail Systems Research (RSR) and SPS Commerce found that nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of retailers worldwide said they offered ship-to-store fulfillment options. Finding the right balance is difficult, however, and many retailers are struggling to meeting customer needs and desires while also managing the bottom line.