Walmart is building a fleet of personal shoppers to lure wealthy moms

AP

• Walmart is developing a personal shopping service that will allow "high net worth urban consumers" to purchase items through text messages.
• Couriers will deliver household products free of charge to shoppers' doorsteps within 24 hours of ordering, and other items will be delivered within two days, according to Recode.
• The service will focus on "the curation of aspirational and highly relevant products," according to a Walmart job posting.

Walmart is developing a personal shopping service targeting wealthy customers.

The service will allow shoppers to purchase items and receive product recommendations through text message, Recode reports.

Couriers will deliver household products free of charge to shoppers' doorsteps within 24 hours of ordering, and other items will be delivered within two days, according to Recode. The service is specifically designed for "busy NYC moms," sources told Recode.

A job posting seeking employees for the personal shopping service said it will focus on "the curation of aspirational and highly relevant products."

"Our goal is to be a trusted personal shopping companion that surprises and delights the high net worth urban consumer," the posting said.

Following Recode's report on Wednesday, Walmart edited the job post to remove the words "high net worth."

The role would entail managing the service's fleet of couriers by scheduling their routes and ensuring that they deliver items on time, according to details in the posting.

The job is offered through Code Eight, a subsidiary of Walmart's tech incubator, called Store No. 8. Code Eight, led by Rent the Runway cofounder Jennifer Fleiss, is focused on making "everyday shopping magical with a highly personalized shopping experience," according to the job posting.

Here's the post:

Store No. 8

The new service would be the latest in a series of moves by Walmart to draw wealthier shoppers as it looks to gain market share online.

After purchasing Jet.com last year for $3 billion, the retailer went on an acquisition spree, snatching up e-commerce companies, like MooseJaw, ModCloth, Shoebuy, Bonobos, and Hayneedle, that appeal to higher-income customers. Walmart also recently struck a deal to give the high-end department store chain Lord & Taylor space on its website.

EXCLUSIVE FREE SLIDE DECK:
The Future of Retail 2018 by the BI Intelligence Research Team.
Get the Slide Deck Now »