Wing's ambitious strategy: From 2 pilot locations to over 270 Walmart stores

Scaling Drone Delivery—Wing’s Winning Path

Last weekend, Wing—an Alphabet subsidiary specializing in drone delivery services—announced an ambitious expansion plan in partnership with Walmart. According to Heather Rivera, Wing’s new Chief Business Officer, the company will begin deploying its service at an additional 150 Walmart stores from now until 2027.

This is not the first time the giants have collaborated. However, the scale of this plan far exceeds initial expectations. Once completed, Wing will serve customers through more than 270 Walmart stores, spanning from Los Angeles to Miami, St. Louis, and Cincinnati—a robust network capable of reaching about 10% of the U.S. population.

From Small Pilot to Large-Scale System

Wing’s journey began in 2023 with a pilot program at two stores in Dallas. The service initially served around 60,000 households. Positive early results led the company to quickly expand to 18 Walmart Supercenters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and continue developing in Atlanta.

Currently, the pilot operations in Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta have laid the groundwork for Wing’s next phase. Houston will be the next city to receive this service on January 15, followed by Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte, and many other cities.

Who Are the Customers Using This Service?

Data from Wing shows that a quarter of their top customers use drone delivery up to three times a week. The most commonly delivered items include eggs, ground beef, fresh tomatoes, butter, lemons, lunchables, and snacks like Takis.

These items reflect the actual needs of consumers—fresh, everyday essentials that users want to receive quickly. This customer choice also demonstrates the reliability of Wing’s drone delivery service.

Evolving Technology, Increased Scalability

To support this expansion plan, Wing recently completed its first commercial flights using larger drones capable of carrying up to five pounds. This advancement allows the service to handle a higher volume of orders, supporting the goal of increasing delivery throughput.

Rivera emphasized that increasing delivery volume is a key factor in Wing’s business model. The company is also experimenting with different strategies to optimize expansion, such as launching multiple stores simultaneously—a method successfully implemented in Atlanta when six stores were activated at once.

Market Position and Future Outlook

Although Wing also partners with DoorDash, Walmart remains the company’s primary strategic focus. The current plan indicates that Wing is establishing a strong position in the commercial drone delivery sector—an area that originally stemmed from a Google X project.

Looking ahead, Wing’s strategy centers on deeply integrating into Walmart’s operations and developing scale sustainably. With plans to expand to 150 new stores, Wing is not only a tech company but also a key business partner for the largest retailers in the United States.