Let’s talk DRONES! Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), an aircraft without a human aboard and perhaps most relevant to coronavirus times – innovative and futuristic delivery drones.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at this trend by focusing on the changes we were eagerly anticipating – now being implemented faster. And, predicting which of these new habits we are acquiring these days, will stick around with us in the future.
The more frequent use of drones in retail is something we all knew is coming as drones can reinvent the entire retail experience. For instance, drones can be employed at warehouses to check the stock availability and when an item is running low on the shelf, they can easily stock up new ones.
But has coronavirus brought us up to speed faster than we expected? Now with social distancing, it’s clear to see why drones are more important than ever before.
Among the obvious, drones are used for health and economic ramifications. So, the main question here is – once these things will become just another delivery channel, will things ever go back to how they were before?
And so, just a few days ago, Singapore’s first drone delivery service, F-drones, began. The first parcel containing 2 KG of vitamins was dropped onto a ship anchored off the island on April 19th.
“People in cities may not like drones flying over their heads because of the noise, for example, but that’s not an issue when flying over water,” said Nicolas Ang, F-drones co-founder and chief executive.
Not only are drone trips a faster way of transferring things in a busy port, they’re also a greener, more environmentally friendly solution. In addition, “each drone can take up to 5kg of supplies and travel up to 5km offshore each way.”
For now, this is happening mostly above water, but hey – Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Additionally, in Australia, in response to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the planet, Westpac Bank has stated that the drones it uses to spot crocodiles in Queensland, can be used to drown playgrounds in disinfectant instead.
“Through clever innovation, Westpac Little Ripper Lifesaver can help stop the spread of COVID-19. Our fleet of specialized drones will be able to spray environmentally friendly disinfectant to ensure public spaces remain safe,” the bank tweeted. “Help when it matters.”
And while this idea may be somewhat controversial, the next one surely isn’t: UPS and CVS will use drones to deliver prescriptions in Florida. The destination? The Villages, which is the nation’s largest retirement community located in Central Florida and spanning some 32 square miles. It is home to more than 135,000 residents.
“Our new drone delivery service will help CVS provide safe and efficient deliveries of medicines to this large retirement community, enabling residents to receive medications without leaving their homes,” said Scott Price, UPS chief strategy and transformation officer.
“UPS is committed to playing its part in fighting COVID-19, and this is another way we can support our healthcare customers and individuals with innovative solutions.”
So, what do we have? Vitamins, disinfectants, and medicine. A very helpful, smooth way to move drones one step closer into our everyday reality.
Now attach notes to them, and there you go, marketers – this is your new direct to consumer marketing communication channel. Orchestration is becoming more and more complex, huh?!