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Walmart rolls out a brand new delivery option - but it is only in certain areas
Walmart has confirmed it is rolling out delivery by drones for even more customers.
The grocery giant said air deliveries are now available for 75 percent of the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.
More customers are able to take advantage of the superfast delivery service thanks to the service being rolled out to four more Walmart Supercenters in north Texas.
It is an expansion of a deal with drone delivery company Wing, owned by Google, that began last year with delivery from two stores in the Dallas metro. The two covered 60,000 homes.
The four news Supercenters are two in North Richland Hills, one in Frisco, and one in Lewisville - which all began drone delivery on April 29. Walmart has not said how many new homes these cover but it is thought to be around 50,000 to 100,000 homes.
The grocery giant confirmed air deliveries would now be available for 75 percent of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas
Millions of Texas customers will now be able to order essentials via drone
Homes within an approximate six mile radius of the those stores can use the service, according to Chain Store Age.
The key advantage of teaming up with Wing is that they are allowed to use drones that can fly beyond the visual line of sight of the depot. Most companies must maintain sight of their drones.
Not having this restriction allows deliveries to around six miles from stores.
Drones have already delivered more than 20,000 customer orders by January, the retailer said in a statement at the time.
The company now plans to build 'on our momentum with the largest drone delivery footprint of any US retailer,' the company said.
'This expansion will bring the ultimate convenience of drone delivery to communities across the DFW area,' Prathibha Rajashekhar, Walmart innovation and automation senior vice president, said.
Walmart shoppers opting for the futuristic delivery option can expect their order to arrive within half an hour while some items may take as little as ten minutes.
Drone deliveries will tend to be used for smaller purchases, with the weight limit set at ten pounds, the company explained.
The fee is set at $3.99 for deliveries that meet the weight requirements.
The most common use of the delivery service is to purchase snacks and medicine, but fragile items such as eggs can also be included, the store added.
Some 85 percent of products in a Neighborhood Market store meet the weight and volume requirements for drone delivery according to store representatives.
'Customers will have access to a broad assortment of items from Walmart available for delivery to their home in just minutes,' Rajashekhar said.
'Drone delivery is not just a concept of the future - it's happening now and will soon be a reality for millions of additional Texans.
'The response has been incredible from customers ordering drone delivery from Walmart every day.'
'If this milestone is any indication, we believe 2024 is the year of drone delivery,' he added.
The service is powered by on-demand drone providers, Wing and Zipline. Both firms are approved by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to fly without a dedicated observer.
To order groceries using a Wing drone, customers must download the Wing app and enter their address to ensure they're in a serviceable area.
The company initially launched drone deliveries from three stores in Northwest Arkansas back in 2021.
Walmart's drone delivery hubs are managed by three companies: DroneUp - in which Walmart has invested - Zipline, plus Wing.
The chain has already completed more than 20,000 deliveries using the tech
Drone deliveries will tend to be used for smaller purchases, with the weight limit set at ten pounds
After launching its initial DroneUp drone delivery partnership in 2021, Walmart is now offering the service through DroneUp in Florida and Texas, as well as the original state of Arizona.
The retailer also introduced a drone-based instant delivery service at a Neighborhood Market store in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, in partnership with Zipline in the fall of 2021.
Walmart's 4,700 stores being located within 10 miles of 90 percent of the country's population makes it 'uniquely positioned' to scale, a company spokesperson said.
Walmart - the biggest retailer in the US - is in a race with rivals such as Amazon to be at the center of the futuristic delivery option.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos first expressed interest in drone deliveries in 2013.