Kroger is the latest retailer to begin testing deliveries of online orders via autonomous drones.
Top line
On Monday, the grocery store chain announced it has partnered with drone delivery company Drone Express to test deliveries in Centerville, Ohio. The flights, which begin this week, will be managed by licensed pilots based in a trailer near a Kroger Marketplace in the area, the company said in a statement.
A second pilot is scheduled for the summer at a Ralphs store in California.
Between the lines
Customers who are located in the delivery zone can visit Kroger’s drone delivery website to place orders. Per the retailer, these drones can deliver within 15 minutes.
However, because drones can only carry so much—about five pounds, to be exact—Kroger has created product bundles for this pilot, including a baby care bundle with wipes and formula, a child wellness bundle with other-the-counter medicine and fluids and a S’mores bundle with graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate.
In a statement, Beth Flippo, CTO of Drone Express parent company Telegrid, pointed to future potential in “[sending] chicken soup to a sick friend or [getting] fast delivery of olive oil if [customers] run out while cooking dinner.”
And because the drones will deliver to a customer’s smartphone location instead of a physical address, Kroger noted orders can be dropped at potentially hard-to-pinpoint locations like parks and beaches.
Bottom line
Kroger joins a growing list of retailers testing the technology, which also includes Walmart —a company that in September 2020 began drone tests of “select grocery and household essential items” in Fayetteville, N.C. via drone delivery company Flytrex.
Last fall, Amazon confirmed it has FAA approval to use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial packages. It has long said its goal is to deliver packages within 30 minutes.
Chinese ecommerce platform JD.com still has what is likely the most advanced drone delivery network in the world, with seven types of drones and over 100 routes.
