Kroger, the largest grocery chain in the U.S., conducted a similar pilot program in 2021, testing drone deliveries of online grocery orders in Ohio and at a Ralphs store in California. population lives within just 10 miles of a Walmart store, according to the company. There are about 4,700 Walmart locations across the country, and an estimated 90% of the U.S. Walmart said its expansion means it could deliver more than 1 million packages by drone in a year.ĭrone deliveries could help Walmart better compete with e-commerce competitors like Amazon. This September, the company launched a pilot program with end-to-end drone delivery company Flytrex to implement automated drone delivery that is convenient, safe. It is then delivered to the customer’s yard using a cable that lowers the package. Walmart has been experimenting internally with flying drone delivery since 2015 but has finally taken the plunge into real-life customer deliveries. Once a customer places an order, the item is pulled from the store, packaged, and loaded into the drone. The participating Walmart stores will house a DroneUp delivery hub with a team of certified pilots, the company said. It was the first operator to use the FAA 107.39 waiver, an operation that allows for delivery flights to be conducted over people and moving vehicles, Walmart said in a 2021 statement when it first announced the investment. The company currently has six drone-delivery sites and is planning more than 30 by end of the year. Throughout 2020, Amazon gained a profit of $21.3 billion, compared to $11.6 billion in 2019.ĭroneUp operates commercially throughout the U.S. Walmart has forged three drone partnerships in recent years. Amazon expected to surpass Walmart as nation's largest retailer

Walmart drone station