Walmart confirms Jetblack membership-only shopping service

Members are onboarded with an initial 10-minute phone call to determine preferences. Some may choose to also have a home visit where Jetblack employees check cupboards and scan products and brands to build a more thorough essentials list for daily shopping.

Shoppers can then text questions and requests to Jetblack. Need a recommendation for a child’s birthday party gift? Three options are offered and upon selection, the shopper is prompted for delivery info (to home or party recipient), offered personalized card messages and gift wrapping.

Household items or other other requests are treated in the same manner, most orders placed before 2 p.m. will be delivered the same day, although special requests or more unusual orders can take longer. The service uses a combination of artificial intelligence and human knowledge, for what Fleiss described as a unique combination of expertise across multiple product categories.  

Jetblack is sourcing products from Jet and Walmart, and is working “unofficially” with other retail partners including Pottery Barn, Gap, Blue Mercury and a handful of smaller boutiques in New York City, according to Fleiss.

Members pay $50 a month, although that fee will be evaluated as the program grows. And while users may be juggling a few memberships such as Fresh Direct, Amazon Prime, Peapod, etc., Fleiss said the current fee is paying for itself very quickly. After all, in Manhattan that’s just a couple hours of babysitting services rendered unnecessary by Jetblack. 

And Jetblack is clearly targeting upper-income shoppers, busy moms and two-income households — urban parents who are typically buying 10 items per visit.  In fact, it only delivers to buildings with doormen to receive deliveries (customers leave the delivery parcel with the doorman for retrieval, as well). 

Members are given Jetblack branded Air Pods and orders can be placed using a voice to text option. But traditional SMS is currently the communication method of choice, according to Fleiss. Members can surreptitiously text requests as they come to mind, checking something off their to-do list while in a meeting or at a child’s event.