In 2022, Walmart expanded its drone delivery program to 36 hubs across seven of the United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia, with plans to continue growing the service.
Last year, Walmart safely completed more than 6,000 deliveries to customers in as little as 30 minutes, the company stated. The top five items delivered via drone from Walmart were, in order, Great Value Cookies and Cream Ice Cream 16-ounce, 2-pound Bag of Lemons, Freshness Guaranteed Hot Rotisserie Chicken, Red Bull 8.4 fluid ounce, and Bounty Select-a-Size Paper Towels. The top delivery weight is 10 pounds.
Walmart is uniquely positioned to offer drone delivery at scale, the company noted, with its 4,700 stores. The ability to scale will provide even more customers with the convenient opportunity to receive items via drone in the years ahead, Walmart added.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team for creating the largest drone delivery footprint of any U.S. retailer and providing customers with an incredibly fast and innovative option for delivery,” said Vik Gopalakrishnan, vp, innovation & automation, Walmart U.S., “We’re encouraged by the positive response from customers and look forward to making even more progress in 2023.”
