Walmart files patent for flying store

American department store chain Walmart has filed for a very peculiar patent, regarding a flying warehouse. That should be able to bring orders to the customer’s door step thanks to drones.

Cheaper last mile

The patent shows how a large cabin is suspended from a kind of blimp, which flies several hundred meters high. The blimp can be steered remotely, but it should also be able to navigate automatically. The final phase is when drones bring the shipment to the customer.

The flying store is another one of Walmart’s attempts to make the last mile cheaper, because this part of the online order process is the most expensive part. It is also the reason why a lot of chains are trying to get customers to order at local stores or to motivate them to pick up the orders at the store.

A flying warehouse is also something Amazon has also long considered. Not only does the Walmart competitor seek solutions with drones, but it has also filed a patent for a flying warehouse underneath a blimp – remarkably similar to Walmart’s patent.