The revenue will be split with the drone operator. It said it plans to offset the cost of deliveries by selling photographs taken by drones to municipalities and local business, such as construction or real estate companies.
Walmart will use the drones to make money in another way, too. Other frequent items delivered by drone are batteries, trash bags, laundry detergent and Welch's fruit snacks, the company said. At one store, for instance, the top seller for drone delivery is Hamburger Helper. Instead, he said, many have used it for convenience. Walmart anticipated customers would use the drones to get emergency items, such as over-the-counter medication, Guggina said. One of the surprises of the drone tests has been what customers order, he added. Amazon Exclusive Energizer AA Batteries, Alkaline Power, 24 Pack, Double A Battery Pack - Amazon.
With the larger network of sites, Walmart will be able to deliver over 1 million packages by drone in a year, David Guggina, senior vice president of innovation and automation for Walmart U.S., said in the blog post. 1-16 of over 2,000 results for batteries. Walmart said it plan to eventually add the order-placing capability to its own website and app. Orders must be placed on DroneUp's website or through the websites of the two other operators. A cable on the drone slowly lowers the package. The armored cavalry, but not the armor, call their maniples. Customers can order items totaling up to 10 pounds.Įach order is picked, packaged and loaded at the store and flown remotely by a certified pilot to the customer's yard or driveway. (A maniple and a battery are basically the same thing, but artillery is always in batteries.
Each drone delivery comes with a $3.99 fee. Through those stores, Walmart has offered a growing list of fast online options including curbside pickup InHome, which delivers directly to customers' fridges and Express Delivery, which drops items at doorsteps in two hours or less.Ĭustomers who live within the range of a Walmart drone-delivery site can order any of thousands of items between 8 a.m. About 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of one of Walmart's more than 4,700 stores. The new kind of delivery is an extension of Walmart's strategy to use its huge physical footprint as a competitive edge. The company declined to share terms of the deals. Two years ago, it struck deals with three operators - Flytrex, Zipline and DroneUp - and began pilot projects to deliver groceries, household essentials and at-home Covid-19 test kits to customers. Walmart has been testing how the small, unmanned aircraft could change the game for retail, drive e-commerce growth and turn its stores into a way to outmatch Amazon on speed. Walmart currently offers drone deliveries from a few stores near its headquarters in northwest Arkansas and in North Carolina. It announced its plans for growth on Tuesday in a blog post.