MCLEAN, Va. – USA Today writes that Walmart “is taking its battle against online giant Amazon to the next level, piloting a service that will not only deliver groceries to a customer's front door, but  have the driver carry them inside and load them into the refrigerator.”

Through a partnership with August Home, maker of keyless locks controlled with a smartphone, Walmart says its testing a service in Silicon Valley where customers can order products at Walmart.com, and have the products delivered inside their home.

USA Today says that once an order is placed, a Deliv driver will be dispatched to drop the order off, and if the customer is not home, the driver will enter a one-time pass code into a smart lock keypad. Non-perishable packages will be left in the hallway, while perishables like vegetables, steak or other items for dinner will be placed inside the refrigerator or freezer. The homeowner, who receives a message that their delivery has arrived, can view the delivery timeline through the August Home app. They'll also be notified that the front door has been locked when the driver leaves.

"We want to do more in the future by delivering groceries and other orders in whatever location works best for our customers, inside the house for some and in the fridge/freezer in the garage for others,'' Sloan Eddleston, vice president, Walmart’s ecommerce strategy and business operations, wrote in a blog post. "The possibilities are endless.''

USA Today writes that Walmart “could prove formidable in the online grocery business” because its stores are within 10 miles of roughly 90% of Americans.