NYSE: WMT

Gatik and Walmart to expand autonomous truck partnership to Kansas

White box truck with Walmart logo

Just five days after Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a bill approving driverless vehicles, Gatik and Walmart announced on Thursday plans to deploy autonomous trucks in the state.

Kelly signed Senate Bill 313 into law last Friday. It had passed the Kansas House on a 75-44 vote and the Senate 23-17. The law was backed by both Gatik and Walmart (NYSE: WMT). Kansas is the 25th state to pass legislation that enables fully autonomous vehicles to operate on public roads.

The companies did not...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gatik-walmart-to-begin-autonomous-truck-pilot-in-kansas

Walmart drives closer to autonomous delivery with Ford, Argo AI deal

Ford and Argo AI, which are already collaborating on an autonomous vehicle pilot for rideshare with Lyft, are adding a package delivery pilot to the mix with a separate agreement with Walmart.

The three companies will begin autonomous vehicle delivery service in Miami, Austin, Texas, and Washington. The service will use Ford (NYSE: F) vehicles equipped with Argo AI’s self-driving technology.

“Our focus on the testing and development of self-driving technology that operates in urban areas where...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/walmart-drives-closer-to-autonomous-delivery-with-ford-argo-ai-deal

Walmart reigns in grocery delivery wars, but Instacart is pushing hard

Walmart leads Instacart in online grocery delivery sales

January was the peak sales month for online grocery sales, reaching $9.3 billion during the month, according to a Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey conducted Jan. 28-31. Sales in February started to fall, dropping 14% to $8 billion, and have remained on a slow decline since, as more Americans began leaving their homes. Sales fell 24% from January through June, according to Bloomberg Second Measure.

But for some companies, online grocery sales and delivery remain red-hot, and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/walmart-reigns-in-grocery-delivery-wars-but-instacart-is-pushing-hard

ShipBob adds free 2-day shipping for Walmart Marketplace sellers

ShipBob is now an official shipping and fulfillment partner on the Walmart (NYSE: WMT) Marketplace, giving small and medium-sized businesses new options for fulfilling their e-commerce orders within two days.

The cloud-based logistics platform is now able to fulfill orders for Marketplace sellers with free two-day shipping. ShipBob will continue as a third-party logistics provider capable of fulfilling orders outside of Walmart’s two-day delivery program.

“We are excited about the strides Walmart...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shipbob-adds-free-2-day-shipping-for-walmart-marketplace-sellers

Drones in the backyard: FAA grants home delivery to Flytrex

Flytrex receives FAA approval for drone delivery to backyards

After months of testing drone delivery to designated pickup locations, Flytrex is now able to take the next step — delivering to the customer’s yard.

The Israeli-based company announced Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had approved its request to fly drones over people, allowing expansion of a pilot program from its current constructs to include delivery of thousands of items to customers’ yards.

“The FAA approval is important to expanding on-demand drone delivery throughout...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drones-in-the-backyard-faa-grants-home-delivery-to-flytrex

Shipping speed, transparency continue to trip up e-commerce brands

The retail customer journey has been changed forever. No longer is going to a physical store and browsing the aisles the only method of shopping. More browsing than ever is taking place online, more sales than ever are occurring in digital spaces and more pressure on retailers is driving change – and new challenges – that continue to alter the shopping experience.

Understanding these changes are key to creating successful customer journeys. More importantly, though, is understanding what the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/shipping-speed-transparency-continue-to-trip-up-e-commerce-brands

Amazon opens up in-garage grocery delivery to all Prime members

Amazon expands in-garage grocery delivery service to all Prime members

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is expanding its in-garage grocery delivery service, Key by Amazon, to more than 5,000 U.S. cities and towns. The service was launched in November in five cities.

“Customers who tried Key In-Garage Grocery Delivery have loved the service, which is why we’re expanding it to everywhere Amazon offers grocery delivery,” said Pete Gerstberger, head of Key by Amazon. “As customers look for more convenience in their daily lives, we’re excited to deliver another service that not...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/amazon-opens-up-in-garage-grocery-delivery-to-all-prime-members

Kaspien CEO: Take a diversified, cautious approach to minimize supply chain disruption

When the massive container ship Ever Given turned sideways in the Suez Canal, blocking ship traffic for about a week at the end of March, it represented the latest global trade disruption. Fittingly, the Evergreen ship blockage came approximately a year after the world first shut down from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the interim, there were toilet paper and hand sanitizer shortages and then a massive backlog in the supply chain as demand for freight capacity not only returned but surpassed...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/kaspien-ceo-take-a-diversified-cautious-approach-to-minimize-supply-chain-disruption

Nathan’s Famous the latest to get in on the ghost kitchen craze

American hot dog institution Nathan’s Famous (NASDAQ: NATH) is the latest restaurateur to jump into the ghost kitchen craze, inking a partnership deal with Ghost Kitchen Brands (GKB) to launch more than 100 locations across North America by the end of 2021.

Nathan’s, famous for its New York-style hot dogs, will open 60 nontraditional locations in the U.S. and 40 locations in Canada this year. According to a release announcing the deal, many of the new kitchens will be inside Walmart stores and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/nathans-famous-the-latest-to-get-in-on-the-ghost-kitchen-craze

Houston, we have a robot: Nuro, Domino’s team up for autonomous pizza delivery

Nuro R2 self-driving robot delivering Domino's pizza in Houston

Starting this week, residents in Houston are able to order from Domino’s (NYSE: DPZ) and have their pizza delivered via an autonomous delivery vehicle.

Self-driving delivery company Nuro is now offering delivery of Domino’s pizza in the area on certain days and times by its R2 robot vehicle. The deliveries are being made from Domino’s Woodland Heights location.

“Nuro’s mission is to better everyday life through robotics. Now, for the first time, we’re launching real-world, autonomous deliveries...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/houston-we-have-a-robot-nuro-dominos-team-up-for-autonomous-pizza-delivery

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