Walmart's on the cusp of weakening Amazon's edge in online shopping and shipping.
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Why it matters: Amazon may lose its dominance in e-commerce, as Walmart transforms its stores into a powerful logistics network.
Driving the news: Walmart showed off its first-ever "market fulfillment center" in Bentonville, Arkansas, to reporters, including Axios, at the end of May.
Zoom out: More customers are choosing Walmart delivery and in-store pickup, and that demand fuels its e-commerce growth.
What they're saying: Walmart is "very confident" and committed to building out its automated storage and retrieval systems, CEO Doug McMillon told investors separately.
The big picture: On the delivery side, Walmart over the past five years has been building a fleet of independent drivers through its Spark Driver program. That resembles Amazon's 5-year-old Delivery Service Partner program, and offers gig-work opportunities similar to Uber Eats or Instacart.
Our thought bubble: Walmart's advantages over Amazon at the moment - physical stores and grocery - are clear, and hitting all the sweet spots in consumer behavior.
The bottom line: Walmart looks to have enough ingredients to make Amazon a little nervous - especially as the e-commerce giant struggles with its own physical retail strategy.
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