Australia’s Coles takes to the skies launching drone delivery service

Australian supermarket giant, Coles, is to offer drone delivery for more than 250 of its most popular grocery items, the company has announced.

Partnering with global on-demand drone delivery service, Wing, customers in Canberra will be the first to pilot this exciting new technology, with delivery in minutes.

The drone delivery pilot will offer a selected range of items including bread, fresh produce, snacks, convenience meals, health care items, kitchen essentials and even toilet paper. There is no minimum spend and no delivery fee.

Customers simply order via the Wing app and upon arrival, the drone hovers in the air and slowly lowers the package to the ground at the customer’s delivery location for a contactless delivery.

Coles Chief Executive eCommerce Ben Hassing said drone delivery was the next evolution in delivery technology and will support Coles’ ambition to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket by reducing the number of trucks on the road.

“We are passionate about finding innovative ways to help our customers to shop with us and we aim to deliver anytime, anywhere, anyhow shopping,” Hassing said. “By partnering with Wing, we’re able to offer our online customers another convenient option to purchase the Coles items they know and love and get them delivered straight to their door.”

“In the past year, we’ve seen a significant increase in use of our on-demand drone delivery service, with many customers finding the service especially useful as they stayed home, and relied on our contactless delivery service to deliver the items they needed,” commented Simon Rossi, General Manager, Wing, Australia. “Wing made more than 100,000 deliveries in Australia in 2021, and strong demand for drone delivery has continued in 2022. Wing has already made more than 30,000 deliveries in Australia this year.”