Walmart (WMT  ) has recently introduced a new system that is meant to fulfill online grocery orders and expand upon its usage of the system in the weeks and months to come. In order to properly utilize the system, Walmart intends to turn many of its stores into fulfillment centers, which will allow customers to pick up their items or have them appropriately delivered to them.

In order to run a test, Walmart created a system called Alphabot in Salem, New Hampshire in 2019. Instantly, the system operated to the point in which it was able to have retailers prepare the orders and then for the customers to pick up the orders within an hour of having them placed.

As Walmart continues on its journey of providing more technological solutions to customers for more efficient and effective order experiences, it will expand upon its usage of working with other technology providers. Some of its other providers include Alert Innovation, Dematic, and Fabric.

"Some stores will have a pick-up area where customers and delivery drivers can drive up, scan a code, and grab their order," said Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product at Walmart U.S., in a statement. One of the reasons that Walmart is choosing to invest in such technology is because it desires to ward off key rivals such as Amazon (AMZN  ), Kroger (KR  ), and FreshDirect in the online grocery delivery business.

All these companies are competing for speed, availability, and price, and Walmart believes that it will become quicker and more efficient as a store if it expands upon these recently employed technological systems such as Alphabot. A core attribute of the technological advancement within Walmart is that it will "save time" by having robots deliver items to employees who are working within the warehouses. This way, the wheeled robots can work for the employees, but employees will grab items in the store that are too large for the robots to carry.

In the near future, around late September 2021, Walmart plans to reinvent its store design with the creation of more self-checkouts and an increased amount of payment options that don't require contact. Additionally, Walmart intends to test out drones and their delivery capabilities.

Although Walmart still needs to refine many features of its new delivery options, the increased amount of technological advancement has enabled it to find stronger solutions to customer needs, such as with online grocery fulfillments and wheeled robots.