Wing and Walmart Expand Drone Delivery to Seven New U.S. Cities
Quick Look
- Alphabet's Wing is expanding its drone delivery service with Walmart to seven new U.S. cities, including Memphis, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.
- This move increases their total service footprint to nearly 20 markets, with plans for over 270 Walmart locations by next year, following over 1 million successful commercial deliveries.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Wing, an Alphabet-owned company, is expanding its drone delivery service in partnership with Walmart. This expansion aims to build a significant drone-delivery network across the U.S. Walmart has been experimenting with drone delivery for years and has increased its commitment after successful deployments.
Wing, the Alphabet-owned company that delivers groceries and even coffee using autonomous drones, is pushing into seven more U.S. cities through its partnership with Walmart.
The expansion is part of a broader plan to build a drone-delivery network of more than 270 Walmart locations by next year. The new markets include Memphis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Salt Lake City, bringing Wing and Walmart’s total service footprint to nearly 20 U.S. markets.
Wing is already delivering Walmart goods to customers in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Greater Houston. The company has announced plans to expand to Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and Miami as well.
Walmart has experimented with drone delivery for years. But after successful deployments with Wing in Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta, it upsized its commitment. In January, the companies announced plans to bring the on-demand drone-delivery service to an additional 150 Walmart stores.
The upshot: Consumers are using drone delivery more than you might think. Wing has completed more than 1 million commercial deliveries through its partnership with Walmart.
Wing’s chief business officer, Heather Rivera, told TechCrunch back in January that its top 25% of customers use the service three times a week.
“Our work with Walmart has shown that drone delivery isn’t just a novelty, it’s a service many customers count on multiple times per week,” Rivera said in a statement announcing the new markets.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Wing will continue to expand its drone delivery network to more Walmart locations.
Very likely · Within months
Drone delivery will become a more common and accepted method for consumer goods.
Likely · Within years
Open Questions
- What are the specific regulatory challenges in the new markets?
- What is the cost structure for these drone deliveries?
- How will this expansion impact traditional delivery methods and jobs?
- What is the long-term vision for Wing's integration with Walmart beyond grocery and coffee delivery?
