Walmart is planning the largest-scale rollout of drone delivery services so far. The company’s drones are expected to reach four million people by the end of 2022.
Through an expansion of the partnership with drone manufacturer DroneUp, Walmart will be able to send packages to clients via drones, lowering the items to customers homes using a cable. The delivery service costs $3.99 (£3.17) for a package of up to 10 pounds and takes 30 minutes or less to arrive.
The deliveries will be fulfilled from a total of 37 stores, reaching households in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia. The company originally launched the programme in November 2021 but until now the retailer had only offered its drone delivery services from a few stores near its headquarters in northwest Arkansas and North Carolina.
"While we initially thought customers would use the service for emergency items, we're finding they use it for its sheer convenience, like a quick...