Amazon’s Drone Delivery Experiment: Short and Sweet

Amazon’s foray into drone delivery was a bold move, yet it seems they stumbled a bit on the execution. You may have heard the news—Amazon reportedly has delivered to fewer houses than the number of words in this headline alone.

Apparently, their flight-navigation system wasn’t up to the task of a successful delivery system. Despite the buzz surrounding the concept, the reality was far less rosy.

Why It Matters: A Quick Recap

It’s worth considering why Amazon’s drone program was so important, beyond the techy appeal. Sure, it’s undeniably cool, but there were very serious reasons why many people got behind the idea. Amazon was hoping to dramatically reduce delivery times and costs, and make the process more efficient overall.

The idea was to make e-commerce easier and more accessible for more users, by speeding up the rate of delivery. In theory, it meant that customers wouldn’t need to wait days or even weeks to receive their orders.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane…Nope, It’s an Amazon Drone

Amazon began testing drones as early as 2013. They have up to this point been attempting to use drones to deliver actual packages, and there’s even been a pilot program in Cambridge.

Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go as planned. Amazon found out that they couldn’t go the full distance with their drone program and had to scale back those ambitions.

Moving Forward: What Next?

So, Amazon may have missed this opportunity—but will they give up? Tut-tut! We all know Amazon isn’t afraid of bold moves, so there’s no way they’re done yet.

Now, Amazon is going to focus on producing drones for commercial purposes, something that many companies have been attempting for a while. Of course, Amazon’s tech capabilities will give them an edge against the competition.

One Last Word of Advice

We should all keep an eye on the drone marketplace. The evolution of the technology promises to be worth watching. Clearly there’s a need for better ways to deliver goods—so maybe Amazon can put their past mistakes behind them and break new ground in the drone space, after all!

My parting thought? Don’t try to outsmart Amazon. Like so many other companies before them, they’ll find a way to make their vision a reality.

Remember: No matter what it is, Amazon will deliver.