Walmart perks up Coke promotion with drones

Walmart is continuing to expand its usage of drone delivery in a new partnership with Coca-Cola.

To promote the nationwide rollout of the Coca-Cola with Coffee and debut of the new Coca-Cola with Coffee Zero Sugar beverages, Coca-Cola and Walmart are making drone-based delivery of the products available to select consumers in Coffee County, Ga. Utilizing the nationwide drone services provider DroneUp, the leading CPG and discount retail companies are inviting select consumers in Coffee County to opt-in to receive a Coca-Cola with Coffee and Coca-Cola with Coffee Zero Sugar drone delivery to their homes. 

Walmart has been experimenting with drones in a variety of special pilots and programs. In September 2020, the retailer partnered with Quest Diagnostics and DroneUp to pilot drone delivery of at-home COVID-19 self-collection kits, and also kicked off a pilot with end-to-end drone delivery company Flytrex to deliver select grocery and household essentials from Walmart stores using automated drones. 

Walmart also put on a holiday light show in the skies of select communities with the help of nearly 1,000 Intel drones, and has tested carbon-free drone delivery with Zipline technology.

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 26, eligible consumers in Coffee County will receive their one-of-a-kind drone deliveries of Coca-Cola with Coffee and Coca-Cola with Coffee Zero Sugar. And starting Monday, Jan. 25, consumers can also receive a free can of Coca-Cola with Coffee by using the Ibotta mobile rewards and payments app at Walmart stores across the country. In July 2020, Coca-Cola gave 2,000 members of its loyalty program an opportunity to taste Coca-Cola with Coffee before it officially hit shelves.