Lowe's is rolling out a drone delivery option through a partnership with DoorDash and Alphabet's Wing. The company says this is a first for the home improvement retail sector.
A pilot is already running in North Carolina, and Lowe's plans to expand beyond this test if it goes well. Seemantini Godbole, Lowe's chief information and artificial intelligence officer, said the company is still in a testing phase.
Customers will place orders through DoorDash, which will show drone delivery to people who qualify. The drones serve a 5-mile radius from the Lowe's store in Matthews, North Carolina.
Lowe's says more than 100 products are available for drone delivery, arriving in as little as 20 minutes. Each drone can carry roughly 2.5 pounds per flight.
Godbole said the idea is to fix a common snag in home projects. "Drone delivery fits perfectly because this was one of the friction points, like you're doing a project, and you're getting interrupted," she said. "[But] you never left your home, you never left your job site, and then you just continued with the project. That's the whole premise."
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Godbole said Lowe's technology teams are at the pilot store daily to watch how the operation runs. "We wanted our tech teams to be positioned. ... We literally are going to the store every day," she said.
"We are observing. We are listening to the feedback from our store associates and from DoorDash, and we could make changes as needed and be really agile, and so that's why we started here," she added. Lowe's says it will rely on DoorDash and Wing's expertise and will ensure the drones meet all applicable standards.
With this move, Lowe's joins other retailers offering drone delivery, including Amazon, Walmart and Uber Eats. Drone tech has also drawn criticism in parts of the U.S. over noise and privacy, with New Jersey noted as one place where concerns have surfaced.
The company says operating drones in busier airspace requires regulatory approval, and it is working to comply. Lowe's also called drone delivery an important milestone while saying it is still investing in express same-day delivery.
Lowe's is adding other shopper-facing tech and integrating AI into tools used by store associates. "When associates and customers are interacting with Lowe's, I really want the technology to disappear, and I want the experience to shine through," Godbole said. "I want them to remember the projects they are doing, the items they are buying, the fulfillment experience they got, and all our technology efforts are geared towards that."
What does this mean for your portfolio? Watch how fast delivery options evolve, how feedback shapes the pilot, and whether Lowe's expands beyond North Carolina.
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