Walmart has been on the offensive with the launch of pickup stores using dedicated parking spaces. Initial launch was small but has since expanded to 23 markets with another 20 to be added early next year. The offering now extends into mobile with an update Walmart app that allows the customer to inform Walmart associates when they are due to arrive or are in close proximity. The hope is that by better understanding customer arrivals, wait/queue times will be reduced. Look for Walmart to eventually use beacons or other tech for automated customer arrival updates. This type of offering was previously available as part of Square Order.

This is just another example as to how retailers worldwide will be forced to turn stores into fulfillment centers which drastically alters staffing, sales floors, traffic patterns and the merchandise.