As part of its plan to reach 4 million American households, Walmart has launched an expansion of its drone delivery service to span across six states, the company announced Thursday.
The drone delivery service will now be available in Texas, Arizona, Florida, Utah, Virginia and Arkansas. Walmart previously offered drone delivery out of select stores near its headquarters in North Carolina and northwest Arkansas, CNBC reported in May.
For a $3.99 delivery fee, customers can receive a drone-delivered package in about 30 minutes, according to Walmart’s press release. For orders placed between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., drones will deliver eligible items whose combined weight does not exceed 10 pounds, the press release continued.
Walmart is collaborating with DroneUp to expand the reach of its drone delivery initiative. Customers can enter their address on droneupdelivery.com and select the items they want, including delicate items such as eggs, according to Axios. (RELATED: Walmart Eyeing Store Closures, Price Hikes Due To Rampant Theft)
Millions of Americans can now order Walmart drone deliveries https://t.co/NgGrJ7Ps8w
— Axios (@axios) December 16, 2022
Flight engineers then steer the drone to the designated address and release the delivery into the customer’s yard via cable, Axios continued.
“Drone delivery makes it possible for our customers to shop those last-minute or forgotten items with ease, in a package that’s frankly really cool,” Vik Gopalakrishnan, Walmart U.S. vice president of innovation & automation, said in a statement, according to Supply Chain Dive.
The supermarket giant has successfully completed thousands of drone deliveries, the outlet reported.