Walmart announced on Wednesday that it will begin testing drone deliveries of household and grocery items.
The Arkansas-based company said that testing would take place in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where “cloud-controlled drones” will transport select items, according to Reuters.
“Today, we’re taking the next step in our exploration of on-demand delivery by announcing a new pilot with Flytrex, an end-to-end drone delivery company,” Tom Ward, senior vice-president, customer products, said in a statement.
Walmart to test drone delivery of grocery, household items https://t.co/OKnlfwIwde pic.twitter.com/RuGIBxOrta
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 9, 2020
Walmart has adapted its services, finding customers increasingly seeking services that deliver goods to their homes. But Ward acknowledged there are still many challenges. (Related: Union President Says Grocery Stores Should Bar Maskless Shoppers)
“We know that it will be some time before we see millions of packages delivered via drone. That still feels like a bit of science fiction, but we’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that is available and how we can use it to make our customers’ lives easier,” Ward said in his statement.
Walmart has previously partnered with other tech startups and “gained valuable insight,” on how autonomous delivery fits with the company, per Reuters.