The future has arrived as more and more Walmart shoppers look to the sky to have their package deliveries delivered by drone.
Walmart leadership confirmed earlier this month that the super-fast delivery option would now reach 75% of the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area – one of the retailer’s first metro zones to experiment with the new technology.
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The expansion of the delivery zone is possible thanks to the opening of new launch sites at Walmarts in North Texas, according to Forbes.
Wing, the drone company Walmart partnered with for the venture in the state, has already completed 20,000 successful deliveries, Walmart said.
“This expansion will bring the ultimate convenience of drone delivery to communities throughout the DFW area,” said Prathibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president of innovation and automation at Walmart, in a statement.
Walmart is “building on our momentum with the largest drone delivery footprint of any U.S. retailer,” the company said.
The retailer has been working with several drone production companies across the country in recent years to bring this futuristic option to consumers.
“Customers will have access to a wide variety of Walmart items available for home delivery in just minutes,” Rajashekhar said.
“Drone delivery isn’t just a concept of the future – it’s happening now and will soon be a reality for millions of other Texans.”
DELIVERY IN MINUTES
Shoppers who order delivery from Wing can expect most of their orders to arrive within 30 minutes — but some items may arrive in as little as 10 minutes, Walmart said.
The maximum weight for any drone order is around 10 pounds, but smaller orders are the most common and have the largest delivery zone.
Shoppers tend to use drone delivery for basic items like snacks or medicine, the store said.
Even fragile items – like eggs – can be delivered by drone.
“Our first few months of delivering to Walmart customers have made it clear: the demand for drone deliveries is real,” Wing CEO Adam Woodworth told Forbes.
Store representatives stated that 85% of the products available at a Neighborhood Market store meet the weight and volume requirements for drone delivery.
“The response has been incredible from customers who request drone deliveries from Walmart every day.”
“If this milestone is any indication, we believe 2024 is the year of drone delivery,” he added.
WALMART WITH WINGS
Walmart launched its drone delivery testing program in 2021, soon expanding to Arizona, Florida and Texas.
The retailer has another flagship drone program in partnership with technology company Zipline in Pea Ridge, Arkansas — about two hours outside of Little Rock — near the company’s headquarters in Bentonville.
Walmart has also partnered with and invested in another drone technology company, DroneUp.
The drone delivery fee is set for most customers at just $3.99.
Store representatives said they plan to continue to expand the use of the innovative technology.
Walmart and the City of Dallas Aviation Department did not immediately respond to The US Sun’s requests for comment.
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