FARMINGTON, Ark. — Walmart continues to push home delivery innovation through drones. Now, customers in one Northwest Arkansas city can have items flown directly to their doorsteps thanks to a partnership between the retailer and DroneUp.
Starting Monday, Nov. 22, Walmart customers who shop at Neighborhood Market in Farmington can choose to deliver select merchandise to their homes via a drone. The service will be coming to a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Rogers and a Supercenter in Bentonville in the coming months.
The drone delivery service will operate from 8:00 a.m - 8:00 p.m., seven days a week. DroneUp says that some orders could be delivered in as little as 30 minutes.
Walmart and DroneUp first experimented with the service by delivering COVID-19 test kits last fall. Eligible customers are now able to select from thousands of items from Walmart, including fragile products.
“When we invested in DroneUp earlier this year, we envisioned a drone delivery operation that could be quickly executed and replicated across multiple stores,” said Tom Ward, senior vice president of last mile at Walmart U.S. “Opening our first hub within months of our initial concept showcases DroneUp’s ability to safely execute drone delivery operations with speed. We’re already hearing great customer feedback at our first site in Farmington, Arkansas, and look forward to opening additional locations.”
Eligible customers in Farmington can belong placing their drone delivery orders today by following this link. Walmart says it will be celebrating the new service by working with the Razorbacks for a Touchdown Drone Day Sweepstakes. Every time the Razorbacks score in their game against Missouri on Friday, Nov. 26, customers within the one-mile delivery radius of the Farmington Neighborhood Market could win a Razorback jersey dropped off at their home via a drone.