Walmart expands drone delivery with Wing to 150 more stores 

Walmart plans to expand its drone delivery option to more than 40 million people by providing the delivery service to 150 additional stores in the fiscal year that begins Feb. 1, according to Wing.

By 2027, the Bentonville-based retail giant will have a network of more than 270 drone delivery locations stretching from Los Angeles to Miami, Wing said in the recent press release.

“As we work together to rewire the retail delivery experience, this expansion builds on the success of our operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Metro Atlanta, where customers have already made drone delivery a normal part of their everyday lives,” said Greg Cathey, senior vice president of digital transformation at Walmart. “Wing’s top 25% of customers ordered three times a week, and deliveries have grown three times in the last six months.”

The Wing expansion helps Walmart in its shipping race against rival Amazon as consumer demand for fast deliveries increases. This expansion builds on the existing drone delivery operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta markets. Walmart and Wing plan to launch drone deliveries in Houston; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina, later this month.

“Drone delivery plays an important role in our ability to deliver what customers want, exactly when they want it,” Cathey said. “Whether it’s a last-minute ingredient for dinner, a must-have charger for a phone, or a late-night essential for a busy family, the strong adoption we’ve seen confirms that this is the future of convenience.”

Drones from Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, can fly up to 60 mph and travel up to 12 miles round trip, according to the company. The drones can carry goods weighing up to 5 pounds from stores and are designed to carry items typically requested for rapid delivery. Walmart customers can check whether Wing drone delivery is available at their location by entering their address in Wing’s app or website.

Wing CEO Adam Woodworth said Walmart’s expanded use of the Wing platform is confirmation of the system’s reliability.

“We’ve spent years building our technology to ensure that when you realize you’re out of eggs or need over-the-counter medicine, the solution is just a few taps away, seamlessly integrated into existing store operations” he said.

Walmart’s drone delivery fee is free for Walmart+ members for a limited time, and $19.99 for non-members. It is charged as a flat fee per delivery in participating areas. Walmart also continues to test the integration of drone delivery into its mobile app, which now must be initiated through the Wing app.

Drone delivery is available in parts of Northwest Arkansas. Consumers can check delivery availability at the Wing website.