Walmart will soon offer a Wing drone delivery option on its app for some customer areas in North Texas. [Photo: Walmart]
Walmart announced in January that it would expand its aerial delivery footprint in North Texas to offer drone delivery to up to 75% of Dallas-Fort Worth area residents. The expansion includes stores in more than 30 towns and municipalities in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, marking the first time a U.S. retailer will offer drone delivery to so many households in a single market.
“Drone delivery is not just a futuristic concept — it’s happening now and will soon be a reality for millions of people across Texas,” Pratibha Rajashekhar, Walmart’s senior vice president of innovation and automation in the U.S., said in a statement at the time.
Wing drones fly deliveries for Walmart [Photo: Walmart]
That reality is about to get even more real: Soon, the retail giant will begin rolling out drone delivery options in a very familiar format on the Walmart app.
App-based drone delivery option launches in select DFW retail areas
Walmart announced Thursday that starting later this month, customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will begin being notified of the new drone ordering feature through the Walmart app “if they are eligible for drone delivery based on the address associated with their account.”
Walmart said the integration will happen gradually “as more drone delivery locations open and drone providers receive additional regulatory approvals to fly more items and farther distances.”
Walmart will soon offer a Wing drone delivery option on its app for some customer areas in North Texas. [Photo: Walmart]
One of Walmart’s drone delivery partners is Mountain View, California-based Wing, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet.
“When Wing Delivery becomes available within the Walmart app later this month, customers will have more selection and a better shopping experience than ever before,” Wing CEO Adam Woodworth said in a statement. “This is a big step toward making drone delivery a part of everyday life.”
Walmart said its investment in drone delivery technology further reaffirms its “unwavering commitment to finding innovative experiences and delivery solutions for our customers to help make life better.”
According to Walmart, here is a list of DFW stores currently offering drone delivery:
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9101 N Tarrant Parkway, North Richland Hills
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6401 NE Loop 820, North Richland Hills
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801 W Main Street, Louisville
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8555 Preston Road, Frisco
Other new tech from Walmart includes a new shopping assistant powered by GenAI.
In other Walmart tech news, the company announced earlier this year that it launched the Walmart GenAI search experience on Walmart.com and within its apps. The company said the tool “allows customers to browse based on their specific use cases, generating more relevant cross-category results that reduce the time they spend scrolling, tapping and searching.”
Since its rollout in early 2024, Walmart has added more GenAI-powered online shopping features, including GenAI-powered product reviews, product summaries and product comparisons.
That brings us to something new that’s currently in beta testing: a GenAI-powered shopping assistant. According to Walmart, the solution “engages customers in natural, open-ended conversations to answer questions like, ‘What’s the best gift for a 5-year-old?'” guiding them to make the best choices for their unique needs, faster.
The company says that over time, the Shopping Assistant will “evolve with more advanced features and capabilities, ultimately turning it into a trusted shopping companion.”
Algorithms deliver products without you having to shop
Want to avoid shopping altogether? Walmart says its InHome service aims to be the “ultimate time-saver,” delivering everyday items, general merchandise and fresh groceries directly to customers’ homes.
In January, Walmart announced it was enhancing its InHome service with a feature called Replenishment. The AI-powered service “uses personalized algorithms to predict customers’ needs and automatically place items in their cart with InHome orders, delivering them straight to their pantry or refrigerator.”
Walmart said the algorithm will learn things like the frequency and quantity of products customers regularly purchase. Replenishment began initial testing in April. “Customer feedback has been positive,” the company said.
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