Walmart In The Drone Game

Over the past few months, I wrote how Walmart is now every bit of a technology company. The pundits on the financial media shows call it a "retail company" yet they are now a lot more than that.

The announcement a couple weeks ago that they were seeking to partner with Microsoft to buy TikTok's U.S. assets caught many by surprise. While I did not know the move was in play, the fact that they were getting involved did not turn my head.

In fact, it only makes sense for Walmart to look at these options.

Here we have a company that is buying AI programs and robots. This is akin to how companies like Apple work. Why would anyone think it outrageous for this organization, with all the money they generate, to buy entire AI or robotics companies?

The truth is that it is not outlandish.

We now have a report that Walmart is carrying out trials on drone delivery. Here again, this was the forte of Amazon. That is the company that was known to be messing around with drones after filing a number of applications.

So, yes, Boo Boo, Walmart is a technology company.

According to an article on techtimes.com, they are testing a this technology out in Fayettville, North Carolina. This is, in part, due to the response with COVID-19.

The idea is that shoppers will agree to an arranged time. At that time, the drone will show up and send the items down from about 80 feet. Thus, the customer will not come in contact with the unit, only the groceries purchased.

Here is how that article described it:

Customers were able to receive their packages in the allotted time through the flying drones. Users only need to wait outside their homes, look for the flying object, and the drone will open its box (wherein the goods are stored), and straightly lowers the package to the ground from 80 feet in the air.

To read the full article:

https://www.techtimes.com/articles/252424/20200910/walmart-steps-closer-on-delivering-goods-from-skies-amazon-laughs-at-the-idea.htm

How rapidly this is rolled out remains to be seen. While we could be looking at years before there is anything substantial, it does show the direction that this company is looking in. No longer can we simply put a company in a particular sector and expect that is all it is.

Instead, traditional companies that want to stay in business are going to have to expand their scope. As they become more technically oriented, the possibilities really open up. This means that crossing into other sectors is highly possible.

A traditional company, when asked what industry are you in, will be able to clearly tell you. If a technology company is asked the same question, the answer is "all of them".

Obviously, we can see that Walmart is now in the drone business. Anyone want to bet that, if this pilot project is successful, that they buy a drone company at some point? It only stands to reason they would.

Of course, why stop there? If they are transporting physical items around, who is to say they could not do the same thing with people? After all, shuffling atoms around is the same process, whether it is people or cargo. Planes have no problem transporting both at the same time, perhaps Walmart gets into that game also.

As we can see, the number of possibilities open up a great deal more. Here is a company that most would say is a retailer yet they are proving to be so much more. Just like Amazon is no longer just an online bookstore (or online retailer for that matter), Wally World is moving in the same direction.

Image from article linked


If you found this article informative, please give an upvote and rehive.

gif by @doze

image.png

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta



0
0
0.000
13 comments
avatar

pixresteemer_incognito_angel_mini.png
Bang, I did it again... I just rehived your post!
Week 22 of my contest just started...you can now check the winners of the previous week!
!BEER
7

0
0
0.000
avatar

What I think is that with the social distance due to the pandemic, the demand for delivery drones accelerated and with the entry of Walmart in this type of service it is very good for the competition in the market that Amazon is the pioneer.

I see that in a few years we will have many more companies in this field and the client is the winner.

Posted Using LeoFinance

0
0
0.000
avatar

What I think is that with the social distance due to the pandemic, the demand for delivery drones accelerated and with the entry of Walmart in this type of service it is very good for the competition in the market that Amazon is the pioneer.

That's very true. The social distancing rule with Covid has been a catalyst to tech revolution.

Posted Using LeoFinance

0
0
0.000
avatar

That's right, despite the great damage it is causing to the world, it was decisive so that companies could see innovative ways to overcome the crisis.

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta

0
0
0.000
avatar

Well with opportunities opening up, business expansions keeps taking place. Covid-19 has taught us that it's possible that delivery services might Just about make their billions for a long time. You're right there's even more possibilities with Walmart

Posted Using LeoFinance

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hmm, the world is really changing at a very fast pace. We really need to update and flow with this realities. I saw a video delivering a pack of Indomie in a retail outlet. That was actually a prototype. Walmart is in the future already.

Posted Using LeoFinance

0
0
0.000
avatar

The financial power of Walmart with such technological moves can boost it into what anybody else beside you could anticipate it. The price is still decent for an investment on it.

Beside TESLA what other stocks do you consider mandatory in an investment portfolio?

Posted Using LeoFinance

0
0
0.000
avatar

I think Tesla and Bitcoin should be in everyone's portfolio. After that it is up to individuals preference but some I would suggest that are going to be strong:

Costco
Walmart
Dominoes
Microsoft
Apple
Amazon
McDonalds

I know this is picking winners. but all these are strong in the tech area while also having very solid businesses. The likelihood of them being disrupted anytime soon is not great.

These companies have been winners over the last 5 years for a reason.

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta

0
0
0.000
avatar

This is a great move, and I agree that the pandemic has accelerated the transition to this kind of services. Walmart have been testing with drones for years, initially using drones to check inventory in their warehouses

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta

0
0
0.000
avatar

Walmart has severally proved to be ontop of the game in tech world. It will be beautiful if they accept cryptocurrency as payment. That will be more secure and faster to be processed via drone.

https://nowpayments.io is the best cryptocurrency payment gateway out here. i would like to see Walmart partner with NOWPayments.

0
0
0.000