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Walmart recently announced a new multiyear agreement with Zipline to add 300 drone delivery sites nationwide, with the potential to expand. The rollout builds on Walmart’s drone delivery program, which has completed more than 2 million deliveries to date. Walmart has worked with Zipline to make drone deliveries since 2021.
“We see customers try drone delivery for the novelty and then continue to come back to it for the convenience when they need something in minutes,” says Greg Cathey, senior vice president, eCommerce fulfillment transformation, Walmart. “Walmart’s stores put us close to the communities we serve. With Zipline, we can build on that proximity and bring this fast delivery option to even more customers across the country.”
Now, Walmart is building on its success to bring drone delivery to even more communities nationwide, with tens of thousands of eligible items available for delivery in as fast as 30 minutes where available. With 90% of America living within 10 miles of a Walmart store, Walmart has a unique advantage to build on its existing store network to expand drone delivery.
“Five years ago, Walmart and Zipline made our first deliveries together. Back then, the idea of autonomous delivery seemed impossible to most people. Today, customers order from us multiple times a day. When you can get what you need in 10-30 minutes it takes a huge amount of anxiety out of life. People can plan their lives around their loved ones, not errands,” says Keller Cliffton, CEO and co-founder of Zipline. “Now, with Walmart, we’re going to expand this tech to homes throughout the country.”
Zipline is the world’s largest drone delivery service by miles flown, with 150 million commercial autonomous miles without a major safety incident. Zipline’s home delivery drone uses a two-part architecture designed for quiet and safe operations by keeping the drone roughly 330 feet above the ground during delivery while a pod containing the order descends on a tether.
