Announcements this past week point to diverging strategies but converging objectives: building ecosystems that lock in customers, stretching infrastructure to new uses and testing operational resilience leaning into the busiest retail months of the year. Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days loom on Oct. 7 and 8, and Walmart’s seven-day sales event, Walmart Deals, kicks off on Oct. 7.
Logistics Becomes a Weapon
Amazon’s latest move underscores its belief that logistics, more than retail assortment, will decide the future of eCommerce. By opening its fulfillment muscle to merchants on rival platforms, Amazon is recasting itself as an infrastructure provider as much as a retailer. The timing is no accident: heading into holiday season, fulfillment bottlenecks can make or break both sales and seller relationships.
- Amazon expands fulfillment to Walmart and others: “By working with Shein, Shopify and Walmart, we’re making it easier for sellers … to use our network to grow faster and more efficiently across their sales channels,” said Peter Larsen, vice president of Amazon MCF. The company stressed that its Multichannel Commerce & Fulfillment service now supports Walmart, Shopify and Shein in addition to eBay, Etsy, Temu and TikTok Shop, helping sellers avoid the cost of separate logistics setups.
- Amazon highlights scale and AI: The company reported that over 600,000 sellers already use its supply chain network to move more than 5 billion products annually, powered by new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven customs and optimization tools.
The shift represents a calculated gamble: Amazon gains utility revenue and deeper seller ties, but risks blurring the boundary between retailer and enabler, even for its fiercest rivals.
Healthcare and Everyday Integration
While Amazon doubles down on logistics scale, Walmart continues to leverage its omnichannel presence to deepen consumer reliance on its ecosystem. Its latest move targets healthcare, an area that ties directly into household trust and convenience. By enabling refrigerated prescriptions to be delivered alongside groceries and household goods, Walmart is signaling that the future of retail is about life integration, not just price competition.
- Walmart adds refrigerated prescription delivery: The company said refrigerated medications already account for more than 30% of pharmacy sales and that it has delivered more than 90% of prescriptions via delivery so far.
This move positions Walmart as a one-stop destination where healthcare, groceries and household essentials converge. It’s an extension of its long-term strategy to anchor consumer loyalty in everyday necessity, reinforced by convenience and breadth.
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A Converging Battle for Fall
Together, these announcements reveal how both giants are broadening the contest. Amazon wants to turn rivals into customers by monetizing infrastructure. Walmart wants to bind customers more tightly by expanding the scope of its services. The strategies differ, but the intent is the same: win the household wallet before holiday spending surges.
