Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Walmart announced on Tuesday that it acquired Parcel, a New York City-based delivery service, in an effort to expedite same-day delivery.
The company said it plans to help Parcel grow its existing customer base while testing same-day delivery service for groceries and Walmart products.
"Delivery is increasingly one of the most important elements for today's online shoppers, as demands for speed, flexibility, and reliability continue to grow," Walmart said in its announcement.
"Parcel is a proven leader in e-commerce package delivery, including taking fresh, frozen and perishable food, the last mile -- that is, the last step in the shipping process as products make their way from a fulfillment center to your door."
Parcel works 24 hours a day delivering packages -- overnight, same-day, and even in two-hour windows -- using routing algorithms, a leased fleet of trucks and a workforce to quickly sort and deliver customer packages.
Walmart said it chose Parcel due to its New York City location, which they note is the perfect place for high-impact innovation. Although the financial details weren't released, Walmart said the deal "was smaller than previous acquisitions we've made this year."
"While customers are looking for low prices, we also know they want convenient experiences that make shopping easier," the announcement said.
"It's why we've focused on creating more options to meet their needs, such as our free two-day shipping to home, our pickup discount, and free online grocery pickup service."
