Welcome to the August 23rd edition of Sent Items.
I want to start this week on a personal and somber note. I was heartbroken to learn of the passing of my friend Roger Duarte last week in a tragic helicopter crash in Africa. I was introduced to Roger over 10 years ago, and we hung out many times in Miami. I was fortunate to have helped him operationally over the years with his George Stone Crab DTC business, and we last spoke just two months ago. He was a brilliant entrepreneur and an even better person. A real loss.
While it has been a heavy week, there are positive updates to share as well. I am incredibly honored to announce that Third Person is a finalist in the Technology and I category for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center's NEXT Awards! You can find more details here.
In the broader market, speed and automation are dominating the headlines. Walmart reported earnings that show a massive spike in sub-30-minute deliveries, Amazon just inked a major automation deal while simultaneously expanding its drone delivery network, and the broader warehousing sector is going all-in on robotics.
Let's get into it.
- Matt
Walmart Earnings: E-commerce Surges, But Overall Growth Slows
Walmart reported its Q2 2026 earnings, painting a complex picture of the current consumer. While overall comparable sales growth of 2.6% was the smallest quarterly increase since 2020 (indicating cautious consumer spending), their U.S. e-commerce operations are on fire.
The Need for Speed: E-commerce sales rose 24%, driven by a staggering 48% growth in fast delivery (groceries, fashion, medicines) and a 40% growth in store-fulfilled deliveries.
The Stats: Walmart has expanded sub-30-minute deliveries into 38 U.S. markets. The volume of those ultra-fast deliveries has doubled year-over-year. Astoundingly, 70% of all e-commerce orders are now delivered same-day or faster.
The Infrastructure: To support this, 3,100 U.S. stores are now served with some level of automated freight, handling over half of all e-commerce fulfillment volume.
The Windfall: They also confirmed Walmart recovered "substantially all" of its $2.9 billion in eligible tariff refunds, using a portion to lower prices and ultimately raise its full-year outlook.
Sources: WSJ | Supply Chain Dive
Amazon Expands Prime Air Drone Delivery
Amazon is taking to the skies in a bigger way. The company announced a significant expansion of its Prime Air drone delivery program, receiving approval from the FAA to fly its new MK30 drones "beyond visual line of sight." This regulatory hurdle has long been the primary bottleneck for commercial drone delivery. Amazon plans to integrate these drones directly into its same-day delivery network, deploying them from facilities in College Station, Texas, and eventually expanding to Tolleson, Arizona.
Source: WSJ
Amazon Inks Global Automation Deal with AutoStore
Further emphasizing its push for density and speed, Amazon has signed a global agreement with AutoStore, a leading robotic storage and order preparation system. While Amazon already heavily utilizes its own proprietary Kiva systems (Amazon Robotics), this partnership signals a willingness to deploy specialized third-party automation to optimize space utilization in micro-fulfillment centers and urban nodes where square footage is at a premium.
Source: Supply Chain 24/7
Why Warehouses Are Rolling in More Robots
The Wall Street Journal ran a great piece this week detailing the accelerating adoption of robotics inside U.S. warehouses. The driving forces are clear: labor shortages, the relentless pressure for faster fulfillment speeds (as seen with Walmart and Amazon above), and the decreasing cost of implementing flexible automation like Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and robotic picking arms.
Source: WSJ
Third Person Updates & Events
Upcoming Webinar: MATT'S CHATS
Don't miss the next installment of our webinar series! We will be tackling international shipping strategies, duties, and navigating the complexities of global fulfillment.
When: Thursday, August 27 | 12:00 PM ET
Who: Olivia Buehler (Argents Express Group) and Ben Cronsberry (Parsel), moderated by me.
Sponsored by: Argents
SF & NYC Dinners: OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT!
The response to our VIP Operator Dinners has been absolutely incredible. Both our NYC dinner at Keens Steakhouse on Monday and San Francisco dinner at Harris' Restaurant on Sept 2 are officially SOLD OUT!
Stay tuned for our next round of dinners coming this Fall (👀 Chicago).
Finally, Calling all Industry Partners! We are rolling out an exciting partner program in the coming weeks. If you want to learn more, fill out this quick form here.
Have a great week!
- Matt
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