Walmart has revealed plans to initiate a trial program that may ultimately enable the retailer to provide grocery deliveries to customers’ residences around the clock. The company is collaborating with HomeValet, the creator of a smart, temperature-regulated container designed for outdoor placement. This allows for contactless delivery of groceries to a secure unit, maintaining appropriate temperatures at any hour – even when the customer is not home.

Initial testing of these smart boxes will occur with customers located near Walmart’s corporate offices in Bentonville, Arkansas, beginning this spring. Participation will be by invitation only, as Walmart will proactively contact existing delivery customers in Northwest Arkansas to gauge their interest.

The HomeValet boxes function as an Internet of Things platform, featuring three distinct temperature-controlled compartments capable of storing frozen goods, refrigerated items, and non-perishable pantry staples. The boxes interact with the delivery service’s technology, granting secure access for placing items inside during delivery.

According to HomeValet’s frequently asked questions, the boxes also utilize UVC light to sanitize both the surfaces of delivered items and the interior of the box itself between deliveries.

This feature may be particularly attractive to consumers seeking to minimize potential exposure to the novel coronavirus by disinfecting groceries before storage. (However, the HomeValet website does not make specific claims regarding COVID-19, stating instead that its UV-C LED disinfection process can establish “unfavorable conditions for microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, molds, and other pathogens.”)

Walmart customers will be the first to have access to HomeValet’s boxes, as the product is newly entering the market. The general public will have the opportunity to pre-order the boxes later this year, with pricing details forthcoming. HomeValet plans to eventually market its product to both individual consumers and retail businesses.

HomeValet, a startup based in the D.C. Metro area, was established by John and Jack Simms, a father-son team, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the intention of providing more secure home delivery solutions. The pandemic, however, accelerated the company’s efforts to bring its product to market as consumer needs rapidly evolved and continued to do so.

To that end, HomeValet acquired Envolve Engineering LLC, an Indiana-based engineering firm founded by former Whirlpool engineers, in September. The company highlighted the acquisition as a means of integrating the capabilities of a Fortune 500 company into its more agile startup environment.

“Customers are prioritizing convenience and reassurance more than ever. HomeValet’s secure, temperature-controlled Smart Box and accompanying app can facilitate 24/7 deliveries, whether customers are at home or receiving deliveries remotely,” stated John Simms, co-founder and CEO of HomeValet. “We are pleased that Walmart customers will be among the first to experience contactless, unattended home delivery,” he continued.

While Walmart anticipates that smart boxes could enable expanded delivery hours, the initial pilot program will not offer 24/7 service. The primary objective of the trial is to gather insights into customer preferences and how they interact with the technology, and to determine how Walmart might integrate it into its operations in the future.

HomeValet represents one of several solutions Walmart has tested to enhance the efficiency of grocery delivery. Not all of these tests have resulted in widespread implementation. For instance, Walmart began trialing an in-home grocery delivery service in 2019, allowing delivery personnel to access the home via a smart lock system and, in some instances, place groceries directly into the customer’s refrigerator. Following the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, Walmart scaled back this in-kitchen program, which currently operates only in Pittsburgh. (InHome delivery is also available in Kansas City, Vero Beach and West Palm Beach, but groceries are left inside the door.)

Walmart has not disclosed specific details regarding its partnership with HomeValet, but confirmed that there will be no cost to customers during the pilot phase. Additional information will be released as the program prepares for launch this spring.