Dive Brief:
- Walmart is expanding its drone delivery program with Wing to five new cities over the next year, enabling the initiative to reach millions of new customers, the two companies announced Thursday.
- Thirty minutes-or-less drone delivery will become available for customers near one of 100 Walmart locations in Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Florida cities of Orlando and Tampa. New market launches will occur in the coming months, with the rollout to be complete "by this time next year," according to Wing.
- Wing's drones can deliver up to six miles from the stores they launch from. Wing confirms the recipient's precise delivery location — such as a backyard — at checkout, after which the drone will transport the payload from the store to its destination.
Dive Insight:
The expansion builds upon Walmart's yearslong push to implement drones in its supply chain, making more than 150,000 deliveries with the technology since 2021. The retailer appears bullish on drones' ability to transport nearby orders quickly, despite regulatory and operational hurdles for widespread adoption.
“As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to redefining retail," Greg Cathey, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. transformation and innovation, said in the retailer's announcement. "We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before."
Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, is a key partner in Walmart's efforts. Wing drones already make deliveries out of 18 Walmart locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, covering nearly 2 million people. The two companies complete thousands of weekly deliveries together, with an average fulfillment time under 19 minutes, according to Wing.
Shoppers in upcoming drone delivery markets can sign up on Wing's website to be notified when the program will launch in their area. Thousands of items will be available for eligible shoppers to order, including fresh produce and household essentials, Wing said.
Walmart said its customers are often using drone delivery for food and ingredients they forgot to buy during their weekly grocery trip, along with urgent-care items like cold medicine and baby formula.
