American multinational e-commerce company, Amazon recently disclosed that it will begin to deliver parcels to shoppers by drone for the first time later this year, pending final regulatory approval.
The e-commerce company has been reported to have promised drone delivery for years but has been faced with delays and setbacks. However, the shopping giant has disclosed plans to roll out the service more widely.
The company revealed that its drone deliveries will start from Lockeford, California in the USA. The “prime air” delivery drones will be programmed to drop parcels in the backyards of customers in Lockeford, which has a population of about 4,000 people.
Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and invest in Africa’s finest startups here.
The drones will fly beyond the line of sight, which means that they don’t have to be controlled by a visual observer, rather there will be sensors installed in them, for them to be able to avoid aircraft, obstacles, people, pets, etc.
The aim of the “prime air” is for customers to get their packages safely and quickly in less than an hour. Amazon has relentlessly been working hard to strengthen its endeavors towards expanding its quick delivery services that have seen them maintain its dominant position in the e-commerce space.
No doubt, Amazon is doing everything possible to remain a dominant player in the e-commerce space, because lately, the company has been faced with stiff competition from its competitors like GOOGL, Alphabet, and Walmart, which have already debuted their drone delivery services.
For online shoppers, delivery time has now become a crucial issue which is why they are now selective of companies that offer swift delivery services. As a result of this, companies are now adopting the drone delivery service which is growing rapidly among retail industries and companies, to improve delivery speeds and gain a competitive advantage in sales.
One of the primary motivations for the adoption of delivery drones is majorly to reduce the time it takes to deliver packages. Due to the wide growing adoption, the global drone delivery service market size was $520.0 million in 2019 and is expected to reach $9.51 billion by 2027.
No doubt, drone delivery services are gradually drifting to a place where they will likely be the future of the e-commerce space. It will greatly be beneficial to both companies and their consumers.
Some of the advantages of this drone delivery service are;
- It will enable companies to save money on shipping costs, which would also favor consumers where they will be charged with less shipping fee.
- It will enable fast delivery, as sometimes delivery trucks are faced with traffic challenges. Unlike drones that will transport customers’ packages without being hampered by road traffic. Customers can also receive their deliveries within an hour.
- It will reduce environmental pollution, because these drones will deliver customers’ packages efficiently and conveniently without any pollution whatsoever, unlike delivery vans that emit carbon into the atmosphere.
This drone delivery service is a very great initiative, unfortunately, a lot of delivery people will lose their jobs to automation, while those who would remain will have their job limited which can possibly lead to a reduction in their salary.
Amazon delivery drones “prime air” have been permitted to deliver packages safely to its customers. Will this drone delivery service be the future of e-commerce? I will say yes, looking at it’s widespread adoption and efficiency, it is indeed here to stay.