Amazon Is To Launch Drone Delivery In California City

Retail competitors Walmart and Amazon are turning to aerial drones to deliver online orders to shoppers quickly and efficiently.

Amazon plans to start delivering some purchases to customers later this year, the e-commerce giant said on Monday, announcing a drone delivery that will debut in the California city.

Retail rival Walmart is already offering drone delivery and announced in May that it was ramping up its services dramatically, expanding to six states by the end of the year with the potential to deliver one million packages annually.

Amazon customers in Lockford, Northern California will be able to sign up for free Prime Air drone delivery, the company said.

According to Amazon, items ordered on the retailer’s website that can be airlifted will be packed into drones that will fly to delivery addresses, drop packages outside from a safe height, and then fly away.

Amazon said it has created a sophisticated system that allows its drones to detect and avoid planes, people, pets and other obstacles.

“The logistics industry is overflowing with versatile drones,” Amazon says.