Walmart’s drone delivery service is expanding to the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area.
The company has announced that nearly 75% of the DFW population will be able to order via drone delivery by the end of 2024. Including previous drone delivery locations in Frisco and Lewisville, the addition of DFW will give Walmart the edge as the retailer with the largest drone delivery footprint in the U.S.
“This expansion will bring the ultimate convenience of drone delivery to communities across the DFW area,” said Prathibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president, Innovation & Automation, Walmart U.S. “Customers will have access to a broad assortment of items from Walmart available for delivery to their home in just minutes.
“Drone delivery is not just a concept of the future, it’s happening now and will soon be a reality for millions of additional Texans.”
A more convenient delivery method
The expansion of drone delivery services in the DFW area is possible due to Walmart’s partnership with two drone delivery providers – Zipline and Wing. With their help, more than 30 towns across DFW will be able to get their favorite Walmart products delivered via drone.
The primary reason to order goods via drone delivery is convenience. Walmart says that customers can expect to see their deliveries arrive in as few as 10 minutes, or as many as 30 minutes.
Consumers can place drone delivery orders for just about anything – grocery items they forgot for their dinner, a snack they’re craving late at night, cold medicine that they need in a pinch, etc.
These types of deliveries aren’t just for one-off items either. Shoppers will be able to select multiple items to be delivered – quickly – via drone.
Safety is key
As convenient as drone delivery will be for consumers, Walmart is also reassuring shoppers that the new delivery system is equally as safe.
The company explained that they’ve been testing the technology over the last few years, and in that time, 20,000 safe deliveries were completed. On top of that, both Wing and Zipline have a history of safety and efficiency with delivering goods via drone.
How it works
When ordering from Walmart, customers will place their orders as they typically do, and select “drone delivery” at checkout. From there, the delivery will be boxed up and loaded onto an aircraft for delivery.
Much in the same way that shoppers track packages they order online, consumers will be able to track the flight of their drone delivery. Shoppers will get notifications when the drone is approaching, and a tether will drop down from the drone, unclipping the package at the final destination.
Consumers will be eligible for drone delivery from stores within 10 miles of their addresses, and more information on eligibility will be available in the coming months.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-01-16 13:59:09
