In order to keep up with the rest of the grocery chains, Walmart may partner with Ford and delivery service Postmates to deliver their goods.

More of the smaller chains of grocery stores in the country are already working on delivery services. There are already commercials for Harris Teeter that allows a customer to order groceries online and then have these items delivered right to the doorstep. As Walmart has grown and has become one of the major grocery stores in the country, it has become the largest chain of stores where you can find your groceries.

More than Just Delivery, Automated Delivery

Ford has already begun to work with Postmates to work on the development of a delivery service using automated vehicles. So far, the testing of this project has taken place in San Francisco and is a partnership with Dominos for automated pizza delivery. The Walmart pilot would take place in Miami and also feature automated vehicles that are made to get the goods to the masses that want to order them. This could meet a need that some people have of being able to get their shopping done and know the items are on the way.

An Initial Project Plan

In order to begin this project, the vehicles that would be used will have a human driver behind the vehicle, but the models would simulate how a self-driving vehicle would behave. The expected launch of this project could take place in the early part of 2021 to let us have vehicles that can get the items we need right to our doorsteps while we take care of the things we need to get done at home. Miami is one of the newest testing grounds for such a project, with most of the areas for the testing being done in California.

Solving a Space Plan for Ford

In order to begin this project, the goal is to make sure the vehicles that will bring the items from Walmart to your home are the right size to do the job. This means there will be a limit on the size of the materials that can be delivered from the store. For the most part, the vehicles that will be used will be small to start with, which means most of the time, the items that are delivered will likely be groceries.

Adding a Retrieval System

While we have drivers in these vehicles, the customers can be verified by presenting identification, but once there isn’t a driver behind the wheel any longer, the team will need to be able to offer a system for customers to get their stuff out of the vehicles securely. This may mean a card that’s issued to the customer for verification or a code. This way items can’t be stolen during a delivery that needs to take place and be completed by a customer at their home.

Moving Forward by Ford and Walmart

This retail space of the industry is extremely competitive and more customers than ever want to have their items brought to them instead of going to the stores. The popularity of Cyber Monday sales prove that and if Ford and Walmart can make use of Postmates, which operates in 385 US cities, they will have a chance. This idea seems to be one that will take a bit of time to put together, but the most difficult aspect has to be the autonomous vehicle. Until the program is ready for full autonomy, it could be launched with drivers getting the job done.