Walmart to add 300 Zipline drone delivery sites nationwide
Walmart continues expanding its drone delivery service and isn’t placing all its bets on one technology provider.
Walmart is entering a new multi-year agreement with Zipline, an American robotics company that designs, manufactures and operates what it says is the world’s largest autonomous delivery system, to add 300 drone delivery sites nationwide with the potential to grow.
The rollout builds on Walmart’s drone delivery program, which has completed more than 2 million deliveries to date. The discount retailer has partnered with Zipline to make drone deliveries since 2021, including a program in the Rowlett, Texas area.
[READ MORE: Zipline expands Texas drone delivery to Walmart, Popeye’s, and more]
In addition, Walmart has a longstanding partnership it initially launched with Wing, an on-demand drone delivery provider powered by Google parent company Alphabet, in the Dallas-Fort Worth market in 2023 and recently scaled to Charlotte, N.C.
“We see customers try drone delivery for the novelty and then continue to come back to it for the convenience when they need something in minutes,” said Greg Cathey, senior VP, e-commerce fulfillment transformation, Walmart. “Walmart’s stores put us close to the communities we serve. With Zipline, we can build on that proximity and bring this fast delivery option to even more customers across the country.”
Zipline says it is the world’s largest drone delivery service by miles flown, with 150 million commercial autonomous miles without a major safety incident. The company’s home delivery drone uses a two-part architecture designed for quiet and safe operations that keeps the drone roughly 330 feet above the ground during delivery while a pod containing the order descends on a tether.
Customers will see drone delivery as an option when they open the Walmart app or visit Walmart.com if the address associated with their account is within the delivery range. They can then add items to their cart just like any other delivery order, place their order, and then track their items as they fly to their home. Orders are delivered to the customer’s home in the front yard, backyard or driveway. Eligible addresses can also place Walmart orders through the Zipline app.
"Five years ago, Walmart and Zipline made our first deliveries together,” said Keller Cliffton, CEO and co-founder of Zipline. “Back then, the idea of autonomous delivery seemed impossible to most people. Today, customers order from us multiple times a day. When you can get what you need in 10-30 minutes it takes a huge amount of anxiety out of life. People can plan their lives around their loved ones, not errands. Now, with Walmart, we're going to expand this tech to homes throughout the country."
Based in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart Inc. operates more than 10,900 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 19 countries
