Mar 22 2022
The Sky is the Limit for Food Deliveries
Retailers around the world are seeking ways to accelerate delivery, and drones are likely to be the most promising technological innovation toward this goal.
A study conducted by The University of Texas indicates that last-mile delivery networks will become more decentralized with drones operating at increasing speeds. Customers’ needs are time-sensitive, and if drone technology makes it possible to offer a customized delivery time service, based on their location, for example, in 15 minutes, the demands are likely to increase compared to a three-day delivery promise. Faster delivery times indicate more profitability since they imply a higher demand.
Drone delivery can also minimize the cost of human labor by using dedicated aerial vehicles that fly directly from a delivery center to the customer's location. It also seeks to reduce the disadvantages generated by the unequal accessibility suffered by the inhabitants of certain villages, by circumventing crowded cities, rivers, lakes, and mountains.This new technology can be particularly appealing to customers concerned about both delivery safety and delivery speed. Hands-free delivery to one's doorstep will be an advantage drones can offer in the post-COVID-19 era. As a result, we can say that drone delivery is taking retail to the next level.
In Spain, Restalia Holding, owner of brands such as 100 Montaditos, Cervecería La Sureña, TGB-The Good Burger, Panther, and Pepe Taco, has begun to carry out the first tests in Spain of home food delivery with drones through its Restalia Delivery division, delivering burgers from The Good Burger brand. The company has specified that the first tests have taken place at the base of Hera Dron Hub, the first authorized space on the continent for the flight of unmanned aerial vehicles weighing up to 500 kilos in Zaragoza.
In Madrid, Villaverde’s “Sandbox”, a safe space where technological innovations can be tested in a controlled environment, also sampled a drone delivery with Globalvia and eHang goods. Also, in Ibiza Drone to Yacht has made eating on a boat in the middle of the sea much easier, requiring only their application to receive the order in a few minutes through drones.
Likewise, the RisingUP program by ICEX-Invest in Spain is supporting RigiTech startup, a Swiss aerial logistics company currently established in Spain, which focuses on creating fully integrated drone delivery solutions.
The future of drone deliveries is fast approaching, now it only depends on legislative developments, which are progressing slowly but surely in favor of this disruptive technology.
