Drone Delivery Services Spark Imagination Among Retailers, Consumers, and Packaging Professionals

In 2019, Christiansburg in Virginia became the first place in the US to experience residential drone delivery service. A yellow-winged drone with a small cardboard box tucked underneath it is used to deliver goods, according to EurekAlert!

A year later, in the week of Thanksgiving, residents received a postcard in the mailboxes with a link to a survey of their experience of the drone delivery service last year. It was a 20-item questionnaire designed to measure how the residents felt about the very first drone delivery service in the country.

The survey was conducted by the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) and assistant professor Lin Vinsel of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

The initial finding suggests that 87% of those who experienced the drone delivery service liked it, a resoundingly positive response. They published their findings in the spring issue of Issues in Science and Technology. But their full survey results can be accessed at the "Perspectives on Drone Delivery" report page.

Positive Response In Drone Delivery

The drone delivery service in 2019 not only received 87% positive ratings from the residents but 89% indicated that they are likely to use the service or already had, SciTech Daily reported. Also, about 49% said that they like the idea of using drones to deliver packages than being used for other purposes.

The survey received a positive response compared to other surveys wherein positive feedback did not even exceed 51% and it was relatively an unpopular option for delivering goods.

But during the pandemic when mobilization was limited, researchers once again asked participants if their opinion has changed. Indeed, more people than ever have signed up for a drone delivery service in Virginia last year in March.

That means drone delivery service helped during the pandemic. around 58% of Christiansburg residents said that their opinion of drone delivery improved than when first measured in 2020.

The experience of the residents of Christiansburg helped in promoting drone delivery. For instance, a new coffee shop has found a way to still cater to their customers even during the pandemic and without in-person shopping and that is through drone delivery.

Although the experience of the residents on the new technology at that time seems premature because it was the residents' first time experiencing the technology, their experience with the same technology during the pandemic tells that drone delivery is indeed helpful and a faster way to deliver packages.

Drone Delivery Offers Super-Fast Shipping

According to Packaging Digest, e-commerce companies and packaging professionals like Amazon, DHL, and Walmart are all looking at including drone delivery in their delivery services.

Drone delivery services offer super-fast shipping that relates to the growth of e-commerce and the changing expectations of consumers for what a timely delivery means. From a delivery service that arrives the next day, drone delivery can potentially reduce delivery time to half an hour.

A 2016 survey by Walker Sands Communications showed that 79% of their online shopper respondents said that they are interested in getting their packages as quickly as possible. They added that they would "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to request drone delivery to receive their purchases it means receiving it within an hour.

Check out for more news and information on Drone Delivery in Science Times.