Walmart's Big Change Makes Grocery Shopping Even Easier

When making your weekly grocery list, the first thing most of us do is check the cabinets and refrigerator to see what we have on hand and what needs to be replenished. These grocery item checklists can be time-consuming and a bit overwhelming when trying to keep family-favorite brands on hand for snacking and menu planning.

Walmart's New Automated Replenishment Feature

Walmart understands this weekly struggle and is ready to roll out a new way of shopping. The company is upgrading its Inhome Delivery program with automated replenishment. The new system uses artificial intelligence to track consumer shopping and consumption habits to automatically restock items. All this organizing of grocery items happens without customers even visiting a store, saving a ton of time.

During a presentation at CES 2024 (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Whitney Pegden, vice president and general manager of Walmart Inhome, described the planning and customer feedback that served as inspiration for the program and how it will benefit shoppers.

Consumer feedback revealed that weekly household planning and remembering what to purchase are among their most time-consuming responsibilities. Customers experience frustration when they forget something or realize they don't have an item they need.

According to Pegden, the good news is that customers who are Walmart+ InHome members will soon have access to replenishment.

“You might use a subscription for something predictable like dog food,” she said. “Maybe you need a bag of that every month. When you're trying to figure out how to replenish all your essentials, which is a bigger list with different items, each one with variable consumption rates, (it) can get a bit complicated...Our replenishment service solves that. It’s personalized and adjusts based on your changing needs."

How Walmart's New InHome Delivery Automated Replenishment Works

InHome Delivery already gives you the ability to choose where their selected items are delivered. You can arrange for your grocery order to be delivered to the doorstep, garage, or directly into the refrigerator.

InHome Replenishment will be an AI-powered feature that uses a personalized replenishment algorithm to anticipate needs and place orders delivered directly to a customer's pantry and fridge. The algorithm learns what, how much, and how often customers purchase items on a regular basis. This information helps fill a customer's online shopping cart with the needed items at the right time. 

The goal, says Pegden, is “making sure customers have the things they need consistently the moment they open the fridge or pantry, without lifting a finger.”

“Customers will have complete control: skip items not needed, add additional items to the order and adjust their delivery day and time if needed. The new replenishment service will automate the entire shopping experience, from basket-building to delivery. We’ll be excited for customers to try this new innovation when it launches.”

The new program's launch date was not announced, but it's safe to say many will be anxiously awaiting its arrival.