Lowe’s test drives drone delivery

Lowe’s is set to launch a drone delivery service in collaboration with DoorDash and Alphabet’s Wing, marking the first time a home improvement retailer utilizes unmanned aerial vehicles for e-commerce fulfillment. The pilot program began at a Lowe’s store in Matthews, North Carolina, on Thursday. The service targets select products such as hand tools, paint supplies, tape, batteries, and soap, with delivery times as quick as 20 minutes.

Weighing up to 2.5 pounds, these items often go unnoticed but are crucial for completing home improvement tasks. Customers can access this service via the DoorDash app, where Lowe’s products are listed, and choose drone delivery during checkout. Home Depot has already implemented a similar nationwide express delivery program using DoorDash and its on-demand driver network.

This initiative underscores the growing trend among retailers to provide ultra-fast delivery to meet customer expectations and compete with other stores and online marketplaces like Amazon. Amazon and Walmart are also leveraging drone delivery, with Amazon employing its own drone technology and Walmart partnering with Wing. In July, Wing and Walmart initiated drone delivery in Orlando, Florida, with plans to expand to three additional locations in Central Florida. Walmart has been testing drone delivery in Houston, Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth since July.

The collaboration aims to extend drone delivery to over 270 locations across nearly 20 metro areas, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, and Philadelphia, by 2027. In Charlotte, DoorDash and Wing already deliver food for Panera and other stores in a shared shopping center. The partnership between DoorDash, Wing, and Lowe’s began in Australia in 2022 and expanded to the U.S. in regions such as Southwest Virginia, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and Charlotte.

Achieving broader drone delivery expansion will require regulatory approval to address concerns related to noise, privacy, and aviation safety in congested airspace.