Samsung begins using drones to deliver its smartphones
Electronics giant Samsung has announced it partnered with Manna Drone delivery to begin offering delivery of new Galaxy smartphones and other small devices via drone. Although the delivery is not yet available everywhere, but that’s not the grand plan as it’s available now in Irish town of Oranmore.
Samsung and its drone partner, say they are “keen to expand this service nationwide in the future.” It is only offered for orders made online.
Samsung’s announcement envisions “end-to-end contactless experience for Samsung customers from their initial online order through the company’s Irish eStore, right through to fulfillment.”
The Manna drone can fly from 164 feet to 262 feet up in the sky, and at speeds that can get to just over 37 miles per hour. Manna and Samsung say that’s fast enough to get one of the Galaxy devices directly to a home anywhere in Oranmore or about 1.25 miles within three minutes.
In a statement announcing the new service, Head of online for Samsung Ireland, Eammon Grant, made indirect reference to the pandemic as a reason the drones are an idea whose time has come.
Grant said: “Superior customer experience is at the heart of what we do and with this new service we are embracing what we believe will be the future of retail. In the current environment, there is no better time to provide a contactless alternative to ‘click and collect.”
Manna’s custom-built; aviation-grade drones already make about 100 drone deliveries a day in Oranmore, from the Tesco supermarket and the Camile Thai restaurant in town, according to The Irish Times.
Drones mostly have been used for emergency medical deliveries so far. Big retailers and delivery services like FedEx, UPS and DHL are experimenting with them.
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