Walmart Is Extending DroneUp Delivery Across 6 States In USA

Walmart is expanding its drone delivery service, with the help of DroneUp, across six states this year, to bring convenience to customers. Those pilot states include Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

They’ve been working on this solution over the past year, and customers’ orders weighing no more than 10 pounds can be delivered for a delivery fee of $3.99. It is expected that some 30-odd ‘sites’ will be in operation by the end of this year

The way it works is, participating stores will house a DroneUp delivery hub (pictured below) that includes of a team of FAA certified drone pilots, operating within who safely manage flight operations for package deliveries. Once a customer places an order, the item is fulfilled from the store, packaged, loaded into the drone and delivered right to their yard using a cable that gently lowers the package.

Walmart reports that they’ve “seen a positive response from our customers that have used the service”.

While they initially expected customers to use the service for emergency items, they’ve learned that customers appreciate it [Drone delivery] for its sheer convenience, and apparently, the top-selling item at one of their current hubs is Hamburger Helper!

Walmart plans to scale their drone infrastructure, to influence the expansion of drone technology so other businesses can explore its benefits. A  complementary intent is for DroneUp to offer local businesses and municipalities aerial drone solutions, in areas like insurance, emergency response and real estate. In the case of the latter, a construction agency can work with DroneUp to monitor on-site job progress.

FMI: https://walmart.com, https://droneup.com