Walmart announced a new partnership with Zipline to deliver health and wellness products (on a trial basis) to Walmart’s customers starting early 2021, in Bentonville, Arkansas, where Walmart headquarters are located. 

Zipline drones will be making on-demand deliveries in less than 1 hour, covering a 50-mile radius around the headquarters, carrying cargo up to 4 pounds. 

The initial trail operations will cover delivery of selected health and wellness products, and have a possibility of expanding to general merchandise. 

The announcement comes within a week of Walmart launching a pilot program in partnership with Flytrex, to deliver groceries and household items to customers in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Zipline has commercial drone delivery operations in multiple countries (US, Ghana, Rwanda, India and the Philippines) and thus far the company has delivered more than 200,000 medical products to various health facilities.

Previously, in May 2020, Zipline partnered with Novant Health to deliver personal protective equipment and medical equipment in North Carolina on a temporary basis amid the Covid-19 pandemic.