Walmart Streamlines Its Logistics System To Efficiently Handle Online Sales

Walmart is finally adapting its order fulfillment system to the reality of Internet shopping. It’s a high-stakes game: online sales rose 16 percent in the U.S. in 2012 to $224.3 billion and now account for about five percent of overall consumer-goods sales. That number will reach 10 percent by 2017. In an attempt to catch up to Amazon.com, which long ago created a super-efficient Internet-based sales and delivery model, Walmart is implementing a huge logistics system that includes new warehouses for Web orders – a la Amazon.com – but also uses staff at its more than 4,000 stores to pack and mail Web-bought items to customers – a faster and cheaper way to fulfill online orders, according to the company.