Walmart and Wing Join Forces to Expand Drone Delivery Services in Dallas Metro Area
Retail giant Walmart and drone delivery provider Wing are poised to launch drone delivery service from two Walmart stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The partnership, which builds upon Walmart’s ongoing efforts to provide efficient last-mile delivery solutions and Wing’s expertise in drone technology, will bring an array of Walmart products directly to customers’ doorsteps.
Partnered with services provider DroneUp, Walmart has successfully implemented drone delivery service across seven states and 36 stores, completing more than 10,000 secure deliveries. Building on this momentum, Walmart is adding Wing, an on-demand drone delivery provider backed by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, as a partner. The joint initiative will commence with operations at two Walmart Supercenters in the Dallas metro area, effectively extending the reach of the service to an additional 60,000 households.
Wing’s drone technology, capable of flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), can cover an approximate 6-mile radius around the participating stores.
The first Walmart Supercenter to launch this drone delivery service is located at 8555 Preston Road in Frisco, bolstering the existing network of 11 drone hubs already operational in the Dallas region. Customers can easily download the Wing app from major app stores, input their address, and determine if they fall within the drone delivery range. The items available for delivery encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from household essentials and frozen treats to last-minute meal solutions and delicate items like eggs.
Wing’s Chief Financial Officer, Shannon Nash, emphasizes the significance of this collaboration as Wing strives to fortify its capabilities to support expansive delivery operations on a global scale. “This is a major milestone for Wing, as we continue down our path toward building capabilities to support some of the most significant delivery operations in the world,” says Nash. “Our technology is designed to complement existing delivery offerings, making overall systems more efficient and able to meet real customer needs.”
As the partnership takes flight, customers can anticipate not only expanded service hours from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. six days a week and 30 minute delivery. Wing’s drones cruise at an impressive 65 mph, deploying a gentle tether system to ensure secure delivery of even delicate items to precise locations outside customers’ homes.
Read more:
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife here.