Drone delivery services are now competing for Texas customers seeking shorter delivery times #Drone #delivery #services #competitive #Texas #customers #seeking #shorter #delivery #times Welcome to OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
When Tom Coulis ordered ice cream, it wasn’t delivered to his home in Texas in the traditional way.
Five minutes after ordering the sweet treat through Wing — owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet — the item arrived in Coulis’ driveway by drone. Coulis could have ordered the item through an online delivery platform like Uber Eats or Doordash, but it would have taken a little longer.
“Completely faster, better quality product, and it hasn’t melted,” Coulis told CBS News’ Kris Van Cleave.
Wing, which recently launched in the suburbs of Dallas, already faces competition about 90 miles away. A company called Flytrex is targeting Grandbury, Texas, with drones that deliver coffee to the backyards of the likes of Matt Bartholow.
“Oh, that’s hot,” Bartholow said, after tasting the coffee when he arrived.
For now, delivery via drones is free. Users order from an app, an employee gets the item and loads and launches the drone, controlled by an FAA certified operator.
Jonathan Bass, head of marketing and communications for Wing, said the company provides healthcare products, medicines, food and COVID testing.
Wing’s drones are designed and built in the USA and can carry about three pounds. A business study estimates in the Dallas area alone that drones could deliver about 2% of all items purchased. That saves people 39 hours of shopping per year, according to the study.
“We expect to take some of these packages that would have been delivered by a 12,000-pound truck and deliver them instead by a 10-pound plane,” said Tombo Jones, a Virginia Tech drone expert. “And the huge benefit we see there is a big reduction in CO2 emissions, as well as an increase in safety.”
Drone delivery can also be expanded to major retail chains and online retailers. By the end of the year, Walmart plans to add drone delivery in six states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia. And Amazon hopes to launch its own drone fleet in California.
Coulis hopes it will get off the ground.
“I think the sooner you get something, the better,” he said.