DoorDash and Wing have announced the launch 0f a pilot program, in partnership with Eastland shopping centre, to deliver coffee and food to Melbourne’s eastern suburbs by drone.
The collaboration has made the drone delivery of hot beverages possible by integrating Wing’s service via the DoorDash app, enabling coffee merchants to have access to eligible customers in selected suburbs.
“Drone delivery can provide an excellent complement to our ground delivery services. Delivery drones create a quick, efficient delivery option for smaller orders weighing just over a kilo, and free up ground delivery services for larger deliveries that provide better compensation to drivers,” says Rebecca Burrows, DoorDash General Manager Australia.
“This partnership will bring the most popular delivery bundles that customers can expect to receive in less than 15 minutes. Whether it’s Vegemite and butter, iced coffee, corn chips and salsa, baby food and even band-aids, this will make accessing those last-minute necessities a whole lot easier.”
The partnership aims to benefit all sides of the marketplace including merchants, consumers, and dashers by providing an innovative delivery solution. For those in the coffee business this could mean increased accessibility to local neighbourhoods as well as the ability to deliver hot coffees quickly and efficiently while reducing spillage.
“While Wing has traditionally provided delivery services directly to residential and business customers, to further accelerate our technology development, we’ll be increasingly working with marketplaces and logistics partners to expand their delivery options, making fast drone delivery affordable and sustainable for them, and their customers,” says Wing Australia General Manager Simon Russi.
The Melbourne delivery zone takes in 250,000 potential customers in 26 suburbs including Ringwood, Bayswater, Blackburn, and Boronia and is all fully automated.
