Consumers Expecting to Receive Drone-Delivered Packages in the Next Five Years – Report

The Walker Sands 2015 Future of Retail Study report has revealed that two-thirds of consumers expect to receive their first drone-delivered package in the next five years.

The annual retail technology study report  by Walker Sands Communications, a full-service public relations and digital marketing firm for B2B and technology companies also indicates that and nearly 80 percent are willing to pay for it.

The annual retail technology study released today by Walker Sands Communications, a full-service public relations and digital marketing firm for B2B and technology companies,

According to the report, 36 percent of consumers expect to receive a drone-delivered package in the next two years. The new report comes on the heels of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announcing proposed new rules for drones that wouldn’t allow delivery by unmanned aircraft until at least 2017.

The results of the study were based on a survey of 1,400 U.S. consumers  and it found that the hype around drones created by e-commerce companies like Amazon and Alibaba had caused a gap between expectations and reality.

“Despite the excitement of customers and retailers, drones have effectively been grounded,” said Dave Parro, director of the retail technology practice at Walker Sands. “Consumers have embraced the idea of drone delivery and are ready for the technology right now, but there are still some major barriers retailers are facing before they can make real headway with commercial deliveries.”

The report also indicated that Drone-delivered packages may be a big push toward a future where even more purchases are made online across an increasing number of categories

More than three-quarters of consumers are willing to pay for drone delivery, with 48 percent saying they would pay at least $5 per order. Only 23 percent of consumers say they aren’t willing to pay for drone delivery, suggesting rapid delivery by air is fertile ground for retailers like Amazon that plan to push the limits of fast delivery.

Consumers are open to getting a variety of products delivered via drone, with the highest percentage being open to books (74 percent), and clothing and apparel (73 percent).

When it comes to barriers, those not willing to get any products delivered via drone (12 percent) are most worried about safety (74 percent), cost (69 percent), privacy (64 percent) and theft (58 percent).