Walmart has expanded its drone delivery service to five major US cities.
With the move, the giant retailer becoming the first firm to deliver by drone in five states: Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.
The new service will be available across 100 Walmart shops, increasing the company’s drone delivery footprint significantly.
Through an extended partnership with Alphabet-owned delivery provider Wing, customers in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa will soon be able to receive drone-delivered orders in less than thirty minutes, Walmart said.
Wing’s drones operate ‘beyond line-of-sight’ (BVLOS) by reaching customers within a six-mile radius of each shop.
The move builds on the retail giant’s operations in Northwest Arkansas and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, implemented through a partnership with Wing and delivery company Zipline.
In January, the company announced that Walmart had expanded its drone delivery service to reach about three-quarters of the population of Dallas-Fort Worth, in Texas.
Since launching its drone operations in 2021, Walmart said it has completed more than 150,000 deliveries, offering products ranging from fresh fruit and pet food to over-the-counter drugs and household essentials.
In a statement, the retailer added that customers often turn to drone deliveries for forgotten ingredients, urgent health and wellness items such as baby formula or cold medicines, and other time-sensitive purchases.
Greg Cathey, senior vice president for transformation and innovation at Walmart US, said the move demonstrates the retailer’s commitment to leveraging technology to boost its delivery offering, with a focus on speed.
“As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to redefining retail,” he added. “We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before.”
