Amazon says Prime Air drone delivery will reach nearly 500 US cities and towns by the end of 2026. That’s 6x its current footprint.
Anything under 5 pounds qualifies for drone delivery, with arrival in as little as 30 minutes, though Amazon’s own post says most orders take about an hour.
You’re about to get drone-delivered coffee creamer or AAA batteries immediately after you realize you’ve run out.
The test market of Richardson, TX already has drones delivering. One resident counted 52 drones overhead on a slow Friday and more than 100 on busy days. Amazon compares the buzzing sound of delivery drones to a window fan on low, while FAA figures estimate 88 decibels at 50 feet, closer to lawn mower noise.
This was originally posted as a New Arrival in Going to Buy an Envelope · The Catalog · №007, an issue of my weekly newsletter The Catalog. You can Subscribe for weekly insights, or get in touch to talk about what this means for your business.