US – British multinational consumer goods company Unilever has partnered with Flytrex to launch drone delivery services for ice cream bought from its “The Ice Cream Shop” virtual storefront.
Under the partnership, drone deliveries will be made for shoppers in Flytrex’s coverage area, which currently includes Holly Springs, Fayetteville, Raeford, North Carolina, and Granbury, Texas.
According to Unilever, drone orders from The Ice Cream Shop will be delivered to the front and back yards of local residents with a promised flight time of less than three minutes.
Customers can place orders for drone deliveries of ice cream using the Flytrex app. The app will provide customers with real-time updates along the delivery route until the package is lowered safely by wire into their yard.
Other than the delivery being faster than before, the partnership is also offering exclusive ice cream bundles such as “Chocolate Lover’s Bundle,” and Berry Fruity Bundle” for purchase.
The chocolate lover’s bundle includes Breyers Chocolate Truffle, a Klondike Original Vanilla Bar, Magnum Mini Double Caramel Bars, Popsicle Fudgsicle, and Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
“Berry Fruity Bundle” is comprised of Breyers Strawberry, Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bars, Popsicle Grape, Cherry, Orange Pops, Talenti Roman Raspberry and Ben & Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake.
There’s also a bundle containing only Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, with flavors including Half Baked, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Cherry Garcia, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
The announcement comes at a time when retailers and brands are exploring ultra-fast delivery options and looking to meet shoppers’ instant needs in order to drive sales.
The partners said they will be able to reach “thousands of potential homes” through the approximately one-mile delivery radius of the ice cream delivery service.
Flytrex will be working with Causey Aviation Unmanned, which specializes in drone delivery service technology, on the Unilever tie-up, according to the agreement.
The announcement comes at a time when the global ice cream market is estimated to reach nearly US$122.1 billion by 2031, up from roughly $68.1 billion in 2020, according to Allied Market Research.
The availability of various flavored ice creams and product innovation in ice cream products are driving the growth and development of the market, according to the market research and advisory company.
Recently, Unilever teamed- up with store-hailing service Robomart on on-demand mobile markets stocked with ice cream from The Ice Cream Shop for customers in Los Angeles.
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