Walmart teams with DroneUp to extend drone delivery to four million US households
Walmart is set to expand its DroneUp delivery network to 34 sites by the end the year, providing the potential to reach four million US households across six states – Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
The move provides the ability to deliver over one million packages by drone in a year.
Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., customers will be able to order from tens of thousands of eligible items for delivery by air in as little as 30 minutes. The total weight of delivery is up to 10lbs and the fee is $3.99.
Walmart is also planning to scale its drone infrastructure, offering local businesses and municipalities aerial drone solutions in areas like insurance, emergency response and real estate.
“After completing hundreds of deliveries within a matter of months across our existing DroneUp hubs, we’ve seen firsthand how drones can offer customers a practical solution for getting certain items, fast,” says David Guggina, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Automation, Walmart U.S.
“More importantly, we’ve seen a positive response from our customers that have used the service.”
“In fact, while we initially thought customers would use the service for emergency items, we’re finding they use it for its sheer convenience, like a quick fix for a weeknight meal. Case in point: the top selling item at one of our current hubs is Hamburger Helper.”
Participating stores will house a DroneUp delivery hub inclusive of a team of certified pilots, operating within FAA guidelines, that manage flight operations for deliveries.
Once a customer places an order, the item is fulfilled from the store, loaded into the drone and delivered to their yard using a cable that lowers the package.
