Verizon, Walmart partner for exclusive Yahoo Mail grocery shopping venture

Verizon Media announced it has partnered with Walmart for a unique grocery shopping venture that allows Yahoo Mail users to purchase their food staples online.

The partnership, which has been named “Groceries from Walmart,” is the first of its kind. Yahoo users will be able to add items to their virtual shopping cart straight from their email inbox as well as keep track of promotions, coupons and news, Verizon said in a press release Monday.

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Groceries from Walmart is available through the Yahoo Mail iOS app and desktop. The Yahoo Mail Android app will have the program launched “later this year,” according to the press release.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
VZ	VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC.	42.51	+0.28	+0.68%
WMT	WALMART INC.	88.38	+1.19	+1.36%

Users who have access to Groceries from Walmart will receive “personalized grocery recommendations based on their Yahoo profiles.” Items added to grocery carts will not expire, so users will be able to checkout at a later time if necessary.

This new initiative is meant to assist Yahoo users amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has driven demand for online ordering and socially distanced curbside pickup.

More specifically, Verizon’s press release cited a May study from commercial data analytics company Inmar Intelligence that shows 78.7 percent of consumers have shopped for groceries online at some point throughout the pandemic. The study also found that 56.7 percent are engaging in online grocery shopping more often.

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“Because of the unprecedented coronavirus challenge, online grocery shopping is now the new normal and Verizon Media is well positioned to take advantage of the behavior shifts,” said Verizon Media’s CEO Guru Gowrappan in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with Walmart on this industry-first feature, helping Yahoo Mail users more easily browse and buy essential groceries without having to leave their inbox, saving them time and helping them organize their lives through enhanced and innovative experiences within their email.”

FOX Business reached out to Verizon Media to see if Groceries from Walmart could be potentially launched for AOL users but representatives did not immediately respond at the time of publication.

Verizon purchased AOL for $4.4 billion in 2015 and Yahoo for $4.5 billion in 2017. Both companies are held under Verizon Media, which is a division of Verizon Communications.

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Walmart, on the other hand, has significantly increased its online grocery presence in recent months. The multibillion-dollar company launched Express Delivery in May, a service that delivers groceries and other goods to customers in two hours – an initiative that directly competes with Amazon’s online grocery services through Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
AMZN	AMAZON.COM INC.	198.38	-4.50	-2.22%

Digital sales for Walmart overall reportedly increased by 74 percent, according to Walmart’s first-quarter earnings for 2020, which was also released in May.

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“The number of new customers using pickup and delivery had increased fourfold since mid-March,” Walmart President Doug McMillon said during an earnings call at the time.

In regard to Groceries from Walmart for Yahoo Mail, the company has stated it believes it is offering convenience.

“Customers are leaning on Walmart more than ever for us to help them save on items they need the most, but also to help save them time,” said Walmart Marketing Senior Vice President Rich Lehrfeld in Verizon’s press release. “The new ‘Groceries from Walmart’ feature that lives within Yahoo Mail takes one more step out of our customers’ days, helping them shop when, how and where they want.”

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