As an avid Walmart.com shopper and retail industry expert, one of the most common questions I get is: "How long does it really take for Walmart to ship my online order?" It‘s a fair question – in today‘s instant gratification economy, consumers expect their online purchases to show up on their doorstep lightning-fast. While Walmart is known for its speedy in-store shopping experience, does that expediency translate to its ecommerce business?
In this ultimate guide, I‘ll draw upon my industry knowledge, data from Walmart‘s public filings and press releases, and insights from supply chain analysts to give you an in-depth and unbiased look at Walmart‘s shipping performance. We‘ll cover everything from standard delivery timeframes and shipping options to insider tips for getting your Walmart orders faster. I‘ll also share how Walmart‘s shipping stacks up against its biggest online rival Amazon. So whether you‘re a long-time Walmart devotee or an occasional Walmart.com shopper, read on to get the full scoop on Walmart shipping times.
Walmart‘s Standard Shipping Options and Typical Delivery Times
Here‘s a quick overview of the standard shipping choices you‘ll see when placing an order on Walmart.com:
| Shipping Speed | Delivery Timeline | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2-Day Shipping | 2 business days, order by 2 pm | Free on orders over $35 |
| NextDay Shipping | Next business day, order by 2 pm | $10 per order |
| Standard Shipping | 3-5 business days | Free on orders over $35 |
Walmart‘s most popular shipping option is 2-Day Shipping, which the company says is now available on "millions of items". To get free 2-Day Shipping, your order must be over $35 and be placed before 2 pm on weekdays. So for example, if you order eligible items over $35 on a Tuesday before 2 pm, you should receive your package on Thursday.
For even faster delivery on essential items, Walmart offers NextDay Shipping for $10 per order on top of the regular shipping fee. NextDay orders must also meet the 2 pm cutoff to arrive the next business day. As of 2023, NextDay Delivery is available to about 80% of the U.S. population according to Walmart.
If you don‘t need your items right away, you can opt for Standard Shipping which takes a bit longer at 3-5 business days. Like 2-Day Shipping, Standard Shipping is free on orders over $35.
It‘s important to emphasize that these shipping speeds are estimates and not hard delivery guarantees. Walmart‘s shipping policy states that 2-Day and NextDay delivery may be impacted by factors outside their control like severe weather, peak holiday periods, and carrier capacity constraints. However, based on Walmart‘s Q4 2022 earnings report, the company is hitting its estimated delivery dates on well over 90% of orders.
How Quickly Does Walmart Actually Ship Out Orders?
Standard shipping timelines are one thing, but what savvy shoppers really want to know is how quickly Walmart fulfills and ships out online orders after they are placed. While the exact turnaround time can vary based on the product and where it‘s being shipped from, here are some general benchmarks:
According to a 2022 study by logistics software provider ShipMatrix, Walmart fulfills most 2-Day Shipping orders within 24 hours. The study found that around 80% of Walmart orders marked as 2-Day Delivery were shipped out the same day the order was placed or the next business day. So in most cases, your 2-Day order spends one day being processed by Walmart and one day in transit to you.
For NextDay Shipping orders, the fulfillment turnaround is even quicker. Walmart says that 98% of NextDay orders are shipped out the same day if placed by the 2 pm cutoff, so your order can get out the door within just a few hours.
Standard shipping orders take a bit longer for Walmart to process, typically 1-2 business days before the order is sent out for delivery. However, the overall shipping speed is still quite reliable – a 2021 Inbound Logistics survey ranked Walmart as having the second-fastest standard shipping times among major retailers, clocking in at an average of 3.2 days from order placement to delivery.
Of course, these are general estimates and individual orders may vary. If you need your Walmart order by a specific date, your best bet is still to choose 2-Day or NextDay Delivery rather than chance it with standard shipping.
Where Do Walmart.com Orders Ship From?
Another key factor that impacts how long it takes for your Walmart order to arrive is where that order is physically fulfilled from. Unlike some retailers that ship all ecommerce orders from a handful of centralized warehouses, Walmart has a vast network of fulfillment centers and stores across the country that are optimized for shipping.
As of January 2023, Walmart operates over 40 dedicated ecommerce fulfillment centers in the U.S. spanning over 30 million square feet. These massive, high-tech warehouses are purpose-built to store and quickly ship out popular online items. Walmart also uses 3,500+ of its 4,600+ retail stores to fulfill online orders, essentially turning each supercenter into a mini-fulfillment hub.
Where your specific order gets shipped from depends largely on what you purchased and the available inventory at different Walmart facilities. Walmart‘s systems automatically choose the optimal fulfillment source for each order based on your address and the products in your cart. Generally, orders filled by your local Walmart store will arrive faster than ones shipped from an out-of-state warehouse.
While 40+ ecommerce fulfillment centers may sound impressive, it‘s still far less than Amazon which operates over 110 fulfillment centers and 60 delivery stations in North America. Amazon‘s larger geographic footprint is a big reason why it can offer same-day or next-day shipping to more customers in more areas compared to Walmart. However, Walmart is rapidly expanding its fulfillment network, with plans to open a dozen new ecommerce warehouses in 2022 alone.
Walmart‘s On-Time Shipping Performance
For all the talk of estimated delivery dates, what really matters is whether your Walmart order shows up when expected. While no retailer gets it right 100% of the time, Walmart has a solid track record of on-time deliveries, even during peak periods.
Walmart reported that it delivered 99.5% of holiday orders on time in November and December of 2022, despite supply chain slowdowns and inventory shortages that impacted the entire retail industry. For context, that‘s even slightly better than Amazon‘s on-time percentage of 99.4% for the same period according to ShipMatrix.
On a longer-term basis, data from software vendor Convey shows that Walmart averaged a 95% on-time delivery rate in 2022 across all service levels, putting it in the top 5 retailers measured.
Importantly, Walmart is quite proactive about communicating and making things right when shipping hiccups do occur. If Walmart sees an order is delayed or at risk of missing its promised delivery date, the company will alert the customer via email, app push notification, and often a phone call. Walmart will sometimes even proactively cancel delayed orders and process refunds without the customer having to reach out.
Expert Tips for Faster Walmart Shipping
As a veteran Walmart shopper, I‘ve learned a few tricks over the years to ensure my Walmart.com orders arrive as quickly as possible:
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Filter your searches for "2-Day Delivery" items. When browsing on Walmart.com, use the "2-Day Delivery" checkbox on the left sidebar to only see items in your search results that are eligible for free 2-day shipping over $35. This saves you from accidentally adding slower-shipping items to your cart.
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Get a Walmart+ Membership. For $98/year or $12.95/month, Walmart+ members get free 2-day and NextDay shipping on eligible items with no order minimums. If you‘re a frequent Walmart.com shopper, this can easily pay for itself in waived shipping fees. Walmart+ also includes other perks like fuel discounts and early access to Black Friday deals.
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Check the "NextDay cutoff" on your order. On the shipping options page during checkout, Walmart will show you the latest time you can place your order for it to be processed that same day for NextDay Delivery. Make sure to complete your order before this cutoff time or your order may not ship out until the next business day.
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Choose in-store pickup when possible. For items that are in-stock at your local Walmart, choosing to pick up your order in the store is usually the fastest option. Most Walmart stores can have online orders ready for pickup within 2-4 hours. Some high-volume locations even have automated Pickup Towers that dispense your order in less than a minute.
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Contact Walmart right away with shipping issues. If you see your Walmart order is delayed or stuck in limbo, don‘t wait to reach out to customer care. Walmart offers 24/7 phone and chat support that can help track down your order and resolve shipping problems quickly. Always have your order number ready and be polite but persistent in getting your issue escalated if the front-line agent can‘t help.
The Verdict on Walmart Shipping Times
After evaluating all the data and expert insights, my assessment is that Walmart shipping is speedy and reliable overall, if not quite on par with Amazon‘s gold standard just yet. The company delivers on its 2-Day and NextDay Shipping promises the vast majority of the time, and is making significant investments to expand its fulfillment footprint and shorten click-to-delivery times even further.
While there‘s always room for improvement, Walmart‘s 95%+ on-time delivery track record and proactive customer service give me confidence that your Walmart.com orders will arrive on schedule most of the time. By following savvy shopping practices like filtering for 2-Day items, taking advantage of Walmart+ free shipping, and reaching out quickly when issues arise, you can make your Walmart packages arrive even faster.
At the end of the day, whether you choose to shop online at Walmart vs Amazon or another retailer largely comes down to personal preference. But if fast and free shipping is a top priority for you, Walmart.com should definitely be a strong contender. The retail giant may not win the ecommerce shipping race every time, but it‘s clearly committed to giving its tens of millions of online customers the speedy delivery they expect.
