Walmart has established itself as the place to buy everything from toilet paper to camping stoves on a budget, and now, in the world of e-commerce, container shipping is available to its customers.
With this move, the hypermarket giant is leveraging its position as a major container carrier to offer services beyond its traditional retail business.
Scott Humanek, senior director of Walmart’s global inbound program, announced in a LinkedIn post that Walmart’s cross-border ocean freight program is now open to e-commerce sellers on its fulfillment services platform.
“We are thrilled to help increase value, convenience, speed and reliability for #OceanTransportation,” he wrote of the service.
“Our pilot project exceeded our expectations in terms of feedback and volume.”
According to the National Retail Federation, Walmart is the largest retailer in the United States with annual sales of $635 billion and is therefore a major container shipper.
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The ocean freight service is available to sellers on the Walmart Marketplace e-commerce platform.
You can use Walmart Cross Border service to transport full container loads of goods made in China and destined for the United States.
Sellers can transport 20-, 40- and 45-foot boxers from the ports of Yantian, Shanghai or Ningbo to a Walmart fulfillment center.
The Walmart Marketplace website states that ocean freight services are provided by WMSC Logistics Services, a non-vessel transportation and freight forwarding company.
Walmart’s wholly owned subsidiary, headquartered in Arkansas, applied for its license from the Federal Maritime Commission in late 2022 as the retail giant worked to expand beyond its role as a major big-box store chain.
The president at the time was Fernando Cortes, who, according to FMC records, is senior vice president of transportation at Walmart.
“WMSC Logistics will help Walmart provide international transportation solutions for suppliers, marketplace sellers and other businesses worldwide, with a continued focus on enabling customers to ‘save money and live better,'” the logistics unit’s LinkedIn page states.
