Some convenience and grocery products, such as pantry staples, snacks, and housekeeping supplies, may soon be delivered by drone thanks to a partnership between Alphabet’s Wing business and DoorDash. With “DoorDash Air,” a feature of the DoorDash app, customers can place an order and have it delivered to them in as little as 15 minutes.
DoorDash/Wing
Users will be prompted to designate a delivery area for the drone to drop off their package during the checkout process. Before finalizing the order, the DoorDash app will check to make sure the drop-off location is clear.
As of right now, the pilot is running in Logan, Australia, where Wing has been conducting trials for several years. However, DoorDash drone deliveries will be made available to more customers in the coming months. DoorDash claims the drones have a payload capacity of a little over 1 kilogram.
Wing/DoorDash
For Wing, this is a huge deal because it means that their services can now be used by those who prefer to use them via a different app. DoorDash utilized the new API that Wing provided to build the connection. Customers have previously been able to place orders and receive packages using the company’s drones only through the Wing Delivery App.
Wing claims it has been trying to figure out how to facilitate interaction with other apps for some time now. This new feature is “a logical step on this road to make drone delivery a plug-and-play option for more businesses and consumers—regardless of the app they use,” Wing explained in a blog post.
In recent months, Wing has been actively increasing its reach. This month, the business stated that it would soon begin offering drone deliveries in Ireland. Christiansburg, Virginia, and Helsinki, Finland is also active locations.
