- Walmart’s drone delivery service with DroneUp is now available in Arizona, Florida and Texas, part of a larger plan to offer the same-day delivery option in six states by the start of 2023
- The company operates 36 drone delivery hubs across seven states
Walmart’s drone delivery program is soaring into the new year, successfully completing its expansion plans for 2022 by adding more stores in Florida and other states.
Thanks to a partnership with DroneUp, customers within a 1-mile radius in Tampa and Orlando can now take advantage of drone delivery service across seven stores for a $3.99 delivery fee.
“Drone delivery makes it possible for our customers to shop those last-minute or forgotten items with ease,” Gopalakrishnan stated. “It may seem like a futuristic option, but it’s giving our customers what they’ve always wanted,” said Vik Gopalakrishnan, Vice President of Innovation and Automation for Walmart U.S.
DroneUp and Walmart started drone deliveries in November of 2021 in the state of Arkansas. In addition to Arkansas and Florida, the company expanded its service to include Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team for creating the largest drone delivery footprint of any U.S. retailer and providing customers with an incredibly fast – and innovative – option for delivery,” added Gopalakrishnan. “We’re encouraged by the positive response from customers and look forward to making even more progress in 2023.”
Over the past year, Walmart said it safely completed more than 6,000 deliveries to customers in as little as 30 minutes. According to the company, the top five items delivered via drone from Walmart were, in order, Great Value Cookies and Cream Ice Cream 16 oz, 2lb Bag of Lemons, Freshness Guaranteed Hot Rotisserie Chicken, Red Bull 8.4 fl. oz, and Bounty Select-a-Size Paper Towels.
Currently 85% of items in a Walmart Neighborhood Market meet the 10 lb. weight and volume requirements for drone delivery.
Walmart added that it is uniquely positioned to offer drone delivery at scale with its 4,700 stores located within 90% of the U.S. population, and this ability to scale will provide even more customers with the convenient opportunity to receive items via drone in the years ahead.