At a Glance

  • Walmart is partnering with Wing to expand drone delivery coverage to seven new markets as part of its ongoing growth plans, Wing announced in a blog post.
  • The expanded metropolitan areas include New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, Salt Lake City, and Memphis, Tennessee. Wing said in an email response to sister site Supply Chain Dive that it aims to begin operations in the new markets by 2027.
  • "Our partnership with Walmart shows that drone delivery is not just a novelty, but a service many customers rely on multiple times a week," Wing's Chief Commercial Officer Heather Rivera said in the post. "We are already working in many communities across the seven new markets to accelerate ultra-fast delivery for 40 million U.S. residents."

Deep Dive

Walmart's expansion of drone delivery to seven new markets aligns with its ongoing efforts to accelerate delivery capabilities.

According to the post, Wing's drones can deliver items in as fast as 30 minutes, flying at speeds up to 60 miles per hour, with deliveries ranging from groceries to electronics and household goods. Meanwhile, Walmart is also leveraging its store network to enable about 60% of the U.S. population to receive items within 30 minutes or less, keeping pace with competitor Amazon, which also uses drones.

Walmart U.S. President and CEO David Guggina said on last month's earnings call that Walmart's overall drone delivery service currently covers 66 locations across four states, including Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Arkansas. The service is gaining momentum—according to Guggina, the retailer completed its 1 millionth drone delivery in the first quarter, with slightly over 40% of those occurring in the last quarter.

Walmart has been using Wing's drones in Dallas-Fort Worth, the Atlanta metro area, and the Houston metropolitan area. The upcoming launches announced Tuesday are part of previously announced expansion plans, in which Walmart and Wing aim to operate drone delivery from more than 270 stores by 2027.

"Before entering each new city, Wing and Walmart will work closely with local leaders and community members to share more information about Wing's safe, reliable delivery system, which is designed to serve single-family homes, apartment buildings, and commercial delivery zones throughout the community," the post said.

Alongside its expanded partnership with Walmart, Wing has also been expanding its drone delivery capabilities this year through partnerships and regulatory progress. The company announced in March that it received Federal Aviation Administration approval to safely fly drones after sunset, enabling later-hour service for customers near Walmart stores in Lancaster, Texas. Wing also announced a partnership with Papa Johns to deliver sandwiches by air in North Carolina.