Coles will be Australia’s first major retailer to offer drone delivery directly from stores to customers' homes, launching a pilot service in South East Queensland with global on-demand drone delivery company, Wing.
The drone delivery expansion into Queensland follows a pilot program launched in Canberra earlier this year, where Coles co-located its products at Wing’s drone delivery facility.
Since the Canberra pilot program began in March 2022, more than 5000 Coles deliveries have been made through Wing, with some of the most popular items including fresh fruit, milk, bread, and eggs, along with confectionery, snacks, and cold drinks.
In a previous interview with PKN, a Wing spokesperon commented on the outer packaging that is attached to the drone to protect and carry the purchased goods for delivery. Wing's specially designed, aerodynamic packaging is made from water-resistant polycoated paperboard. Its origami-style design allows the pack to fold closed securely, without any adhesive. The paperboard, along with the polypropylene handle and tabs on the packaging, are recyclable in the suburbs that Wing is delivering to, both in Queensland and in Canberra.
From 2 November, customers in the Gold Coast suburbs of Ormeau, Ormeau Hills, and Yatala will be among the first to pilot the store-to-door drone delivery model, offering grocery delivery in minutes, directly from the Coles store at Ormeau Village Shopping Centre. The service will gradually expand to include other nearby suburbs, delivering 500 of the most popular Coles grocery items.
Coles is the first major Australian retailer to trial the new ‘store-to-door’ drone delivery model, with a dedicated fleet of Wing delivery drones co-located in the Coles store car park. Coles team members will process and pack orders, and Wing staff will load the drones and oversee operation of the delivery service.
Coles head of network development and customer delivery James Geddes said Coles was proud to expand its partnership with Wing with the first-ever store-to-door drone delivery concept in Australia.
“This new service reinforces our commitment to enhancing the way our customers shop with Coles by delivering anytime, anywhere, anyhow shopping, while supporting our ambition to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket by continuing to reduce the number of trucks on the road,” Geddes said.
As part of the expansion into South East Queensland, Wing will also soon be offering Coles items for delivery from the rooftop of Grand Plaza in Logan, Queensland, where it has been operating a drone delivery service for selected on-site businesses, for just over a year.
Wing Australia general manager Simon Rossi, said the company was investing in a range of pilot programs, designed to help enable drone delivery at scale, and bring delivery to more Australians.
“Since launching our drone delivery service in Logan a few years ago, we’ve heard from customers across South East Queensland who are keen to see drone delivery expand to their region. We’re delighted that through this pilot program with Coles, for the first time, drone delivery will be available to residents in the City of Gold Coast,” Rossi said.
Customers can download the Wing app, enter their address, and add items to their cart before submitting their order for fulfilment.
Upon arrival, the drone hovers in the air and lowers the package to the ground at the customer’s delivery location for a contactless delivery.
Wing drone delivery from Coles in Ormeau is available from 9am to 4:30pm Tuesday to Sunday.
