Walmart eyes broader Alphabot roll-out following pilot

A Walmart supercenter in Salem, New Hampshire is now fully operational with the retailer’s Alphabet solution.

Developed exclusively for Walmart by startup Alert Innovation, the system operates inside a 20,000-square-foot warehouse-style space, using autonomous carts to retrieve ambient, refrigerated and frozen items ordered for online grocery. After it retrieves them, Alphabot delivers the products to a workstation, where a Walmart associate checks, bags and delivers the final order.

“By assembling and delivering orders to associates, Alphabot is streamlining the order process, allowing associates to do their jobs with greater speed and efficiency,” says Brian Roth, a senior manager of pickup automation and digital operations at Walmart US.

“Ultimately, this will lower dispense times, increase accuracy and improve the entirety of online grocery. And it will help free associates to focus on service and selling, while the technology handles the more mundane, repeatable tasks.”

Alphabot has been operating at its pilot location in Salem since mid-2019. The store will continue to serve as its home while the pilot continues. After collecting associate and customer feedback, next steps for a broader roll-out will be assessed.

Further details here.