Delivery by drone: how Walmart and Amazon are developing this kind of logistics
Walmart, which is the largest retail chain in the world, is expanding its logistics service with the help of modern technology. Drone delivery will now be available in six U.S. states. Drones will serve about 4 million households.
It is planned that drones will deliver approximately 1 million parcels annually in a number of U.S. states, including Florida, Virginia, Texas, and Arizona. On average, customers will receive the goods within 30 minutes. The company said the service will cost about $4 per parcel. The maximum weight of goods the drones will be able to carry is about 450 grams.
To expand its drone delivery service, Walmart has strengthened its partnership with DroneUp, an autonomous aircraft service company. The list of new states where drone delivery will be available is expected to be expanded by November of this year. Such parcels will be collected at chain stores, loaded on drones, and then they will be sent to the addressees, excluding additional assembly centers.
It should be noted that Walmart has been developing drone delivery for several years; to this end, the chain invested in the DroneUp operator last year.
The American retailer is not the first to use modern aircraft for logistics purposes. Amazon Corporation was one of the first to develop this area but has not yet achieved the goals set in 2013. The main difficulty is the safety of such delivery, which became clear after an accident that caused the drone to catch fire.
Last year, Amazon set a goal of 2,500 test flights, but the company did not reach that target. By the end of the current period, drones should deliver about 12,000 parcels, but so far the retailer has fallen far short of the plan.
The difficulty in developing such a service is the attitude of the U.S. government. The Federal Aviation Administration, which deals with civil aviation issues, is skeptical about the delivery of goods by drones. However, the authorities allow testing in densely populated areas, but drone routes are limited.
Amazon provides drone delivery services for parcels weighing no more than 2.3 kg. The flight distance should not exceed 11 km from the warehouse. The buyer can receive the goods in half an hour after placing the order. At the same time, this delivery option is cheaper than using a courier. It remains to be seen when the process will be improved, and drone flights will become a common situation for both retailers and consumers.
Not only retailers and online retailers, but also postal operators, such as FedEx, are joining the development of drone delivery.
