Walmart has expanded its drone delivery service to five cities in the Southeast and Southwest.
Customers in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa can receive orders in minutes, making Walmart the first retailer to scale drone delivery across five states – Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.
The drone service will launch at 100 stores, building on operations in northwestern Arkansas and Dallas-Fort Worth.
“As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to redefining retail. We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before,” said Greg Cathey, SVP of Walmart U.S. Transformation and Innovation.
Through an agreement with drone provider Wing, Walmart said it can deliver a faster, more efficient service to more customers. Wing operates within FAA guidelines, flying drones Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) up to a six-mile aircraft range from the store.
“This is real drone delivery at scale,” said Wing CEO Adam Woodworth. “People all around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have made drone delivery part of their normal shopping habits over the past year.”
Since launching the service in 2021, Walmart has completed more than 150,000 deliveries.
Customers are using drone delivery for key ingredients they may have forgotten or for urgent care items, such as cold/flu medicine, baby formula and COVID-19 tests. Among the most frequently delivered products:
- Fresh fruit, including bananas, lemons and limes;
- Great Value eggs;
- Ice cream; and
- Pet food.
Communities continue to welcome Walmart’s expanding drone delivery operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Earlier this year, Zipline launched its first P2 drone site at Walmart stores in Mesquite and Waxahachie, Texas.
Customers in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa can sign up on Wing’s website to be notified when drone delivery becomes available in their area by visiting wing.com/walmart.
Dallas-Fort Worth customers can check their eligibility for service today at wing.com/dfw.
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