Walmart's Ultra-Fast Delivery Strategy Drives Record E-Commerce Growth

Key Details Walmart reported 7.3% revenue growth to $177.8 billion in Q1, with e-commerce sales surging over 26% across domestic and international markets. The retail giant's aggressive investment in store-fulfilled delivery and marketplace expansion continues to pay dividends, with e-commerce now representing 23% of net sales. Why It Matters Fast delivery is reshaping customer behavior. More than 36% of store-fulfilled orders in the U.S. arrived in under three hours during Q1, up from the previous quarter. Walmart can now reach 60% of the U.S. population within 30 minutes or less, directly competing with Amazon's expanding rapid delivery network. Expanding Capabilities Sam's Club launched one-hour express delivery from local stores in early April, fulfilling nearly 65,000 orders in the first three weeks. In India, Flipkart operates over 800 micro-fulfillment centers with average delivery times under 13 minutes. The Bottom Line CFO John David Rainey noted that speed drives customer engagement and frequency. U.S. e-commerce margins held steady at approximately 12% despite heavy fulfillment investments, demonstrating the strategy's profitability. For drivers, this expansion means continued demand for last-mile delivery services as retailers prioritize speed-to-customer capabilities.