Walmart to roll out next day delivery for 75% of the U.S. population this year

American retail giant Walmart has confirmed it will be adding free NextDay delivery on a wide range of general merchandise from Walmart.com, without a membership fee.

The company alluded to its plans last month following Amazon’s news that Amazon will be cutting shipping times to one day for Prime members.

NextDay delivery will be available first to Walmart.com customers in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and will expand to Southern California in the coming days. It will roll out gradually over the coming months, with a plan to reach approximately 75% of the U.S. population this year, which includes 40 of the top 50 major U.S. metro areas.

Walmart’s NextDay delivery offers a stand-alone, curated shopping experience where customers can browse up to 220,000 of the items most frequently purchased, ranging from diapers and laundry detergent to toys and electronics, with more assortment to be added. It is available on eligible orders of $35 or more, with the specific assortment varying by customer location.

The company states on its website: “Our new NextDay delivery isn’t just great for customers, it also makes good business sense. Contrary to what you might think, it will cost us less – not more – to deliver orders the next day. That’s because eligible items come from a single fulfillment center located closest to the customer. This means the order ships in one box, or as few as possible, and it travels a shorter distance via inexpensive ground shipping. That’s in contrast to online orders that come in multiple boxes from multiple locations, which can be quite costly.

“We can offer fast, convenient shipping options because we’ve built a network of fulfillment assets that are strategically located across the U.S. We’ve also done extensive work to ensure we have the right products in the right fulfillment centers based on where customers are located and what they’re ordering.”