Walmart has just announced the first of its kind technology aimed at speeding up online grocery orders.
The Alphabot system was created specifically for Walmart by Alert Innovation and is set to help Walmart launch its first pilot program in their Salem, New Hampshire supercenter.
Alphabot is designed as a high-speed automation system that significantly speeds up the process of collecting and preparing an online grocery order. The systems uses autonomous carts to retrieve the items and send them to workstations where associates “pick, assemble and deliver orders to the customers,” as well as check the final order for accuracy.
As part of the Salem store’s re-grand opening, “a 20,000-square-foot extension connected to the store houses the new system and will serve as a dedicated grocery pickup point with drive-thru lanes for customers. When completed, automated mobile carts will retrieve ordered items – stored warehouse-style in this new space – then deliver them to our associates at one of four pick stations.”
According to the company, “the vast majority of grocery products we offer in-store will be fulfilled through this system, though our personal shoppers will still handpick produce and other fresh items.”
Walmart plans to have Alphabot running by the end of the year and hopes to roll it out across the U.S.