Walmart has agreed to a multi-year partnership with drone delivery company Zipline to add 300 delivery locations across the US, widening its national drone logistics operation.
The deployment builds upon an existing programme between the retailer and Zipline that commenced in 2021.
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Walmart stated that its drone delivery scheme has so far completed more than two million deliveries.
Where available, the service delivers eligible products in as fast as 30 minutes.
Customers within the designated service radius can select drone fulfilment via the Walmart website or mobile application, or place qualifying orders through the Zipline app.
Drops are made directly to front gardens, back gardens, or driveways, with Zipline aircraft remaining approximately 330ft above the ground while an order pod is lowered on a tether.
The retailer noted that 90% of the US population lives within ten miles of one of its stores, offering an established network to support the expansion.
Walmart e-commerce fulfilment transformation senior vice-president Greg Cathey said: “Walmart’s stores put us close to the communities we serve. With Zipline, we can build on that proximity and bring this fast delivery option to even more customers across the country.”
The aerial service is part of Walmart’s wider same-day fulfilment options, which also include delivery in 30 minutes or less in selected markets, express delivery within one hour, on-demand dispatch in as little as three hours, and scheduled delivery windows.
Zipline CEO and co-founder Keller Cliffton said: “Today, customers order from us multiple times a day. When you can get what you need in 10-30 minutes, it takes a huge amount of anxiety out of life. People can plan their lives around their loved ones, not errands.”
The logistics expansion follows other recent operational updates.
Last month, Walmart introduced tools consisting of Agent Profiles and the Walmart Agent Gateway, applicable to both Walmart and its Sam’s Club subsidiary, allowing authorised artificial intelligence agents to conduct customer transactions subject to designated expenditure limits.
