Walmart is testing a new service that lets paid members shop and receive product recommendations via text message, going live in in Manhattan and part of Brooklyn before a national roll-out across the US.
The supermarket giant said the service is called “Jetblack” and customers will be able to use it for a $50 monthly fee.
Jetblack will allow members to order anything the store carries via text message and have them delivered the same day or the next day for no extra charge.
The service is described by Walmart as offering “the convenience of eCommerce with the customized attention of a personal assistant.” While Jetblack is not yet available to the entire country, its website asks customers to sign up for a wait list.
The service is the first product to launch from Walmart’s tech incubator called “Store No. 8.” Walmart plans to use the service to target both wealthy and busy parents, according to Chain Store Age.
Membership includes delivery, gift-wrapping and returns, but not groceries. The service won’t be limited to products from Walmart or Jet.com (which the retail company bought in 2016); Jetblack’s shoppers will send customers items from Saks, Pottery Barn and other retailers.
The announcement for Jetblack comes just weeks after Walmart announced it was buying a controlling stake in India’s largest retailer. Walmart purchase a 77 percent stake in India’s Flipkart for $16 billion, making it the discount chain’s largest acquisition to date.
Meet Jetblack from Jetblack on Vimeo.
