Walmart aims to achieve a significant milestone in drone delivery, seeking to extend service to cover up to 1.8 million additional households, constituting 75% of the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) population. This move could solidify Walmart’s position as the U.S. retailer with the most extensive drone delivery footprint.
Prathibha Rajashekhar, Senior Vice President, Innovation & Automation, Walmart U.S., stated, “This expansion will bring the ultimate convenience of drone delivery to communities across the DFW area. Customers will have access to a broad assortment of items from Walmart available for delivery to their home in just minutes.”
Walmart is partnering with drone experts Wing and Zipline, emphasizing speed, safety, and sustainability. Wing, with four years of commercial residential service in the U.S. and on three continents, aims to deliver packages efficiently and safely as part of an automated logistics system. Zipline, the world’s largest autonomous delivery company, focuses on providing fast, precise, and convenient deliveries through its drone delivery network.
Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, remarked, “The response has been incredible from customers ordering drone delivery from Walmart every day, and it’s a testament to our partnership that we’re now expanding our footprint to bring this innovative delivery option to millions of Texans.”
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, co-founder and CEO of Zipline, said, “Walmart is leading the U.S. in using robotics and AI to help people save money and live better. We’re excited for folks across Dallas-Fort Worth to experience delivery that is 7x as fast, zero emissions and whisper quiet with our next-generation technology.”
The drone delivery expansion encompasses stores in over 30 towns and municipalities in the DFW metroplex, marking the first instance of a U.S. retailer offering drone delivery to this many households in a single market. The deliveries will be facilitated by on-demand drone delivery providers, Wing and Zipline, both approved by the FAA for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, enabling drone delivery to more Texans than ever before.
Over the last two years of trialing drone delivery, Walmart has completed over 20,000 safe deliveries. Customers can order thousands of items, and the delivery radius for stores offering the service will be up to 10 miles.
With nearly 4,700 stores located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population, Walmart is uniquely positioned to scale its drone delivery service.
