It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s the next phase of expansion planned by Walmart and drone company Wing.
The companies plan to roll out additional locations for drone delivery in metropolitan hubs like Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Miami this year in what they call “the next chapter of the world’s largest drone delivery expansion.”
This expansion adds to the 100 stores already planned in metro areas like Orlando and Houston. The drones are expected to start flying in the latter city this week. The expansion will increase Walmart and Wing’s network to more than 270 locations across the country in 2027.
“Whether it’s a last-minute ingredient for dinner or a late-night essential for a busy family, the strong adoption we’ve seen confirms that this is the future of convenience,” said Greg Cathey, senior vice president of digital fulfillment transformation at Walmart, in a statement. “By expanding drone delivery to new major metro areas, we are helping more customers solve for their last-minute needs faster than ever before.”
New heights
In the first two years of Walmart and Wing’s partnership, their delivery service was available in seven states. With this planned expansion, more than 40 million shoppers across at least 10 states will have the option of drone delivery.
The rapid expansion is “a sign that customers find real value in getting what they need when they need it, in a matter of minutes,” Wing’s new chief business officer, Heather Rivera, tells Fast Company in an email. “Adoption of drone delivery is quick, and it makes a real difference to customers.”
Walmart and Wing first partnered in 2023 to bring drone delivery to customers with a few simple steps. Shoppers order with Walmart, Wing’s marketplace, or even a third-party service like DoorDash. They select drone delivery and specify an exact delivery location. Then, the drone is loaded up and takes off with the order.
This airborne delivery is faster than other methods, especially in car-dependent metropolitan areas, since the drones can avoid traffic and other obstacles in the sky. As the partnership continues to expand, Wing leadership has their eyes on the sky.
“This expansion elevates Wing from a regional success to a truly national delivery service,” Rivera says in an email. “It’s no longer a question of if Wing drone delivery will come to your city, it’s when.”
