Walmart Acquires JoyRun

There was talk about a year ago, somewhat famously, that Walmart should acquire FedEx.

I said at the time that Walmart needs an airline like it needs a hole in the head. It's just a misreading of Walmart's fundamental needs (last-mile/tech), and FedEx's fundamental strength (its air fleet).

Walmart acquired peer delivery app JoyRun for an undisclosed sum. While JoyRun is no Instacart, it does participate in the last-mile - but primarily as a tech play.

Walmart looking to shore up its gaps with Target in the effort to continue its growth. TBH I've never heard of JoyRun, and by looking at the technology the fit isn't obvious.

I think the most obvious fit could be in regards to grocery delivery. In my household, we use shared Alexa shopping lists to order together, which is then executed via Amazon Prime Now.

While Walmart has no Alexa, shared buying lists and trips could be helpful for consolidated household groceries.

This hearkens back to the "acqui-hire" logic of the last decade. Don't know what the business model is for, but we may have found a few smart people.

More needs to be done here. I bet they are not finished acquiring.