Are you an eager Walmart (WMT +2.88%) customer hungry for perks and rewards for your frequent shopping? In that case, some bad news came out on Tuesday -- the big retailer's Walmart+ perks program has been delayed again.
According to a report in Vox's Recode, citing "multiple sources," Walmart has pushed the program's launch back a second time. Originally it was to be rolled out in late March or April, but like many plans this was scotched in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The company then planned to launch in July, but this too has been delayed. The article's sources didn't provide a potential timeline.
Walmart turned down a request to comment on the story.
Image source: Walmart.
Walmart+ is essentially the company's answer to rival retailer Amazon.com's (AMZN +1.00%) immensely popular Prime program.
In the same way Prime works, it carries a set of perks for Walmart goods and services. According to Recode, these are expected to include free same-day delivery in addition to "some access" to a two-hour delivery service, discounts on gas at Walmart stations, and a "Scan & Go" in-store purchasing option allowing customers to avoid the traditional checkout line.
The price for Walmart+ is $98 per year, pricing it competitively to the $119 annual base rate for Amazon's service. It should be noted, though, that Amazon has quite the head start on Walmart, having introduced Prime in 2005.
At the moment, Walmart certainly has the resources to make a concentrated marketing and sales push with Walmart+. Customers have flocked to its stores for essentials and other supplies during the pandemic; its net sales rose by almost 9% in its most recently reported quarter, while headline net income advanced at a nearly 4% clip.
