Walmart changes 3-day shipping pilot to 2-day

Walmart's pilot subscription shipping program will now guarantee delivery within two days instead of three, helping the retailer to go head-to-head with mammoth online competitor Amazon.

Walmart (WMT) said Thursday that it's tweaking its ShippingPass service, which launched last year, guaranteeing that subscribers will receive their purchases within two days and shaving the annual fee from $50 to $49.

New e-commerce centers across the U.S will help facilitate the faster delivery, the company says. An eighth facility is set to open by the end of 2016 in Florida.

The pilot program could set up Walmart, the biggest retailer in the world, to better challenge Amazon, which has a paid subscription service of its own. Amazon's Prime promises goods to members within two days for a $99 annual fee.

Walmart has been making aggressive moves to increase its e-commerce presence and digital services, shutting hundreds of stores, while it upgrades others, and improving the overall shopping experience for customers.

Contributing: Hadley Malcolm