Walmart revs up delivery wars with next-day delivery

Walmart "is rolling out a next-day delivery service to counter Amazon’s recent move to speed shipment times for top customers to just one day from two," writes Bloomberg's Matthew Boyle:

Why it matters: "The company wants to convince more of its in-store shoppers to buy online, because when they do they spend more than twice as much with the retailer."

Details:

• "The offer, which Walmart had hinted was in the works and will be applied to as many as 220,000 items, will extend [from Phoenix and Las Vegas at launch] to Southern California in the coming days and will reach about three-quarters of the U.S. by the end of the year."
• "Unlike Amazon, which will spend $800 million this quarter to reduce delivery times, Walmart said its shift will actually cost the company less, since the items will typically come in just one box from a single warehouse that’s closest to the customer."

Bricks and mortar ... "Over the past two years, major U.S. retailers … have spent billions of dollars to overhaul existing programs or launch new loyalty schemes" to fend off the allure of Amazon, per Reuters.

• Nordstrom's "Nordy Club" members "can save items in an app that will send push notifications to remind them of their wish list once they get close enough to a store."

Go deeper: Amazon's delivery army