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Tag: DroneUp

  • Six States and 4 Million Households: Walmart’s Drone Services Undergoes Massive Expansion

    Six States and 4 Million Households: Walmart’s Drone Services Undergoes Massive Expansion

    Walmart has announced it is expanding its drone delivering program, reaching 4 million households in six states.

    Retailers have been looking for ways to improve deliveries, getting goods to customers faster and at lower costs. Numerous companies are turning to drones, including Walmart. The company partnered with DroneUp to implement a pilot program, one that is now expanding.

    Walmart says it will have drone deliveries from 34 sites by the end of the year, covering up to 4 million households in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. The company expects to deliver more than 1 million packages in a year via drones.

    “We continue to expand our delivery operations to help customers get the items they need when they need them, and it’s been an exciting journey,” writes David Guggina, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Automation. “From Express delivery, where customers can have items delivered to their doorsteps in as little as two hours, to InHome, where they can get those orders placed right into their refrigerators, we’re proud to offer customers multiple options that help them save time and money.”

  • Walmart Gearing Up for Nationwide Drone Delivery

    Walmart Gearing Up for Nationwide Drone Delivery

    Walmart is gearing up for nationwide drone delivery, following a successful pilot program that showcased the possibilities.

    Drone deliveries are seen as one of the next major steps for retail, with Amazon, Walmart and others exploring the technology. Last year, Walmart partnered with DroneUp to test the viability of drone deliveries, and the results were promising. In fact, the company discovered it could cut delivery time from hours to mere minutes.

    In view of the success of the pilot program, Walmart is doubling down on drone deliveries with an investment in DroneUp.

    Now, after safely completing hundreds of drone deliveries from Walmart stores, we’re making an investment in DroneUp to continue our work toward developing a scalable last-mile delivery solution.

    The company is touting its infrastructure, thanks to its thousands of stores around the US, as a major asset to successful drone operations.

    Walmart already has a significant part of the infrastructure in place – 4,700 stores stocked with more than 100,000 of the most-purchased items, located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population. This makes us uniquely positioned to execute drone deliveries, which is why our investment in DroneUp won’t just apply to the skies but also the ground. In the coming months we’ll be beginning our first operation at a store in Bentonville, Arkansas.

    Walmart has been looking for ways to take on Amazon, and drones that deliver products in minutes is a big step in that direction.