FlowerDeliveryExpress.com Testing Drone Deliveries With Consumer Focus Group

flowerdeliveryexpressdroneOnline floral delivery operation FlowerDeliveryExpress.com is currently experimenting with drone delivery services in the metro Detroit, Mich. area.

FlowerDeliveryExpress.com, which is based in Commerce Township, Mich., recently launched a consumer beta program to test alternative delivery methods and other development efforts with a select group of customers before going to market.

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The company conducted the first flower delivery by drone just before Valentine’s Day. A video of the delivery can be viewed on YouTube here.

However, CEO Wesley Berry was briefly forced to halt future testing with drones after the Federal Aviation Administration informed the company that commercial use is only authorized on a case-by-case basis.

In an announcement released earlier this month, the company reported that a recent ruling by a federal judge has made commercial use of drones legal, and that they would resume testing drones for flower delivery.

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“This ruling legalizing the commercial use of drones is unexpected and exciting news,” Berry says. “I fully intend to resume testing in the next few weeks.”

Berry will include testing drones along with other methods of delivery, such as trucks carrying pre-made bouquets, as part of the company’s beta test groups. FlowerDeliveryExpress.com currently uses traditional delivery methods to serve its several million customers across the country.

“I’m looking forward to using drones for flower deliveries and positioning the company at the forefront of successfully implementing this technology,” says Berry. “Drones have arrived. We are prepared to fly forward.”

Other companies testing drones for delivery include Amazon and Domino’s Pizza.

Consumers can sign up for the beta test group at FlowerDeliveryExpress.com/beta. Participation is not guaranteed, and you must be a U.S. resident.

 

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