Amazon is planning to use drone technology to deliver packages, which may well change the way we do business in the future. According to Wired magazine, Amazon plans to use drones to deliver packages weighing less than five pounds within 30 minutes of purchase by 2016. It’s an ambitious plan that may very well be realized. The company has already filed patents for its delivery drones, and it has been conducting extensive flight tests in countries where such operations are legal, like Canada and the United Kingdom.
By the time Amazon’s Prime Air is ready to launch, it will have been almost exactly 10 years since the shipping giant introduced one of its most significant initiatives yet: Amazon Prime. The service, which offers unlimited two-day shipping in exchange for an annual fee, has changed online shopping in the United States and Europe and has proven to be an integral part of the company’s success over the past decade.
Amazon wants to deliver packages via drones, but the company still has a lot of work to do before it can bring flying delivery machines to its customers’ doorsteps. Amazon’s plan to use drones was revealed in documents that the company submitted with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week.
Can Amazon really deliver with drones?
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been teasing us with the idea of Amazon drone delivery since 2013, but now, he’s finally revealed the plan behind it, including video footage of his octocopters flying over fields and landing in people’s backyards. But what does this have to do with the future of online shopping? And are drones really the answer to our delivery problems? Read on to find out if Amazon can really deliver using drones, or if Bezos just got carried away.
Amazon has really been pushing the envelope recently in terms of technology and service, but can they deliver on their promise to use drones to deliver packages? According to an Amazon Prime Air promotional video, the answer seems to be yes—sort of. The main drawback appears to be that the drone delivery service won’t be ready until 2015, while Amazon has made ambitious claims that they’ll be able to have their drones delivering packages by the end of 2014.
Amazon has gotten approval to use drones to deliver packages. That’s great, but how far away are we from seeing this in real life? Based on what we know, it could be years before we see Amazon drones delivering packages. Here’s why it may take Amazon so long to roll out its drone delivery service, and whether the company can pull it off in the first place.
Challenges for Drone Delivery
Packaging has always been one of the biggest challenges in delivery. How do you ensure that an item gets broken during transit, while also not making the packaging so big or heavy that it’s inefficient and costly to send? In addition, how can a package be delivered without opening the box, so people can’t steal what’s inside? There is still no clear answer to these questions.
The Pros of Drone Delivery
- Drones may be less expensive than delivery trucks because the driver is removed from the equation.
- It will be more convenient for people who are unable to make it home during the day or don’t have a physical address that is close to the store.
- Drone delivery could be environmentally friendly because it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Drone deliveries would also eliminate problems like traffic and parking, which would leave roads safer and clearer.
- Drone deliveries should take less time, too, meaning you’ll get your packages faster!
What does this mean for retailers?
A set of proposed rules for commercial drone operations was released this week by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Not surprisingly, Amazon is planning to use this new drone technology and is also rumored to be teaming up with UPS. With new rules in place and more retailers looking at using drones, what does this mean for retailers in the near future? The FAA predicts that their proposed regulations will go into effect by summer 2016 so drones will have time to get more sophisticated before they’re used widely by businesses.
Where are we headed with this new technology in retail?
Experts seem to believe that we are headed in the direction of using drones for delivery purposes. In retail, how do you see this playing out? Implementing it could take a number of forms. For instance, if you were at a shopping mall you could go online and place an order that would be delivered by drone while you are still there. This is likely not far off in the future, with some predicting we may see such things within five years.
Conclusion
Even though the use of drones is relatively new, it still seems promising. There are some potential risks with the use of drones, but these will most likely be solved as the time passes and drone technology improves. And even if these things do not get resolved, consumers will have an easier time receiving packages in locations they never could before with traditional methods. Overall, I think that we should support Amazon’s quest to find a solution because they seem really motivated by wanting to innovate their company for its customers and shareholders.
