Walmart Launches Drone Delivery in Arizona, Florida and Texas — Retail Bum

Walmart’s same-day drone delivery service is now live in parts of Arizona, Florida, and Texas.

The service is currently accessible to customers within a one-mile radius of four participating stores in Phoenix, seven in Tampa and Orlando and 11 in Dallas.

Customers can choose to order from more than 10,000 eligible items weighing up to 10 pounds, including fragile products such as eggs. The service can deliver items in as little as 30 minutes between 8 am to 8 pm for a $3.99 delivery fee.

“Drone delivery makes it possible for our customers to shop those last-minute or forgotten items with ease, in a package that’s frankly really cool,” said Vik Gopalakrishnan, Walmart U.S. vice president of innovation and automation.

The service is being offered in partnership with DroneUp, which operates a team of certified pilots that work within the Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. It utilizes a cable to lower the payload in a secure location, such as a customer’s driveway or yard, which can then be retrieved later.

Walmart has plans to expand the offering to a total of 23 cities across six states by the end of the year. Eventually, the company plans to roll out the offering to more than 4,700 U.S. stores, unlocking access to drone delivery for the bulk of the U.S. population.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on December 19, 2022.