Verizon’s Yahoo Mail unit aims to make it easier to make purchases online with a new capability that lets Yahoo Mail users fill Walmart shopping carts directly from their inboxes.
Applications like this may be more important than as an increasing amount of consumers are avoiding entering brick-and-mortar locations due to the pandemic. Citing a May survey by Inmar Intelligence, Verizon Media said that four-fifths of U.S. consumers are now shopping online for groceries — up 40% from pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, nearly three-fifths of those surveyed say that they are shopping for groceries online more often now than they were before the pandemic began.
“Because of the unprecedented coronavirus challenge, online grocery shopping is now the new normal and Verizon Media is well-positioned to take advantage of the behavior shifts,” said Guru Gowrappan, CEO, Verizon Media, in a prepared statement. “We’re proud to partner with Walmart on this industry-first feature, helping Yahoo Mail users more easily browse and buy essential groceries without having to leave their inbox, saving them time and helping them organize their lives through enhanced and innovative experiences within their email.”
The new capability builds on the app that Yahoo Mail unveiled a year ago — Grocery View, designed to help users save time and money on the essentials. The view shows users the deals at local grocery stores and lets them save those deals to their shopping lists.
In addition, consumers can connect their store loyalty card to automatically apply saved coupons at checkout. is currently available on the Yahoo Mail iOS app and desktop, with Android coming later this year.
“Customers are leaning on Walmart more than ever for us to help them save on items they need the most, but also to help save them time,” said Rich Lehrfeld, senior vice president, Walmart marketing, in a prepared statement. “The new ‘Groceries from Walmart’ feature that lives within Yahoo Mail takes one more step out of our customers’ days, helping them shop when, how and where they want.”
Verizon Media is exploring an enabling a variety of consumer focused applications. Earlier this year, it launched Cashay, a new personal finance hub developed for younger, diverse audiences, as Telecompetitor reported.
