Wing's CFO, Shannon Nash, declares 2024 the 'year of the drone,' backed by significant data and evolving FAA regulations. This episode reveals how drone delivery is moving from niche to mainstream, with impressive delivery volumes and high customer satisfaction in current markets. Ecommerce operators will gain insights into the future of last-mile logistics, potential integration with existing retail platforms, and the strategic importance of early adoption in this rapidly expanding sector.
In Shannon Nash's opinion, 2024 is the "year of the drone." Nash may be biased, as she's the CFO of Wing, the Alphabet-owned drone delivery company that's currently being trialed by companies like Walmart and DoorDash. But there is some data to back this up. For one, Wing announced an expanded partnership with Walmart in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. What's more, recent changes to FAA regulations will likely make it easier for the company to test out other areas. Nash joined this week's Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about the current state of drone delivery and where she thinks it's going. Drone delivery isn't a new concept, but it seems to be taking flight (pun intended) this year. In Australia, currently Wing's biggest market, one site has approached 1,000 drone deliveries a day. In Texas, where Wing is working with Walmart, the platform has already made 5,000 deliveries over the course of a few months. "We have some customers that order roughly two times a week," Nash said. Wing's most ardent customers, however, "are ordering three times a week." In her eyes, it points to consumers having "very favorable views of drone delivery." Still, the only way to really reach mainstream is to expand to more areas and get more people used to the concept. With that, Nash said, "nothing does advertising and marketing [better] than seeing the drones in the parking lot and [people] going, what the heck is this?" Similarly, with regulations beginning to change to allow for larger delivery areas, the platform has plans to expand at rapid pace. What will that rapid expansion look like? Currently, Wing customers buy the products in its own app, rather than through the retailers. But there could be a future where it becomes an extension of these businesses. Nash wouldn't get prescriptive about what the future of drone delivery ordering looks like. "I think the market is going to determine how that happens," she said. Get more from Modern Retail with the daily newsletter, sent out eac