Lowe’s has launched a drone delivery pilot in North Carolina, which the company said makes it the first home improvement retailer to offer the fulfillment option.

The service is now live at a Lowe’s store in Matthews, NC, near Charlotte, through partnerships with DoorDash and drone delivery provider Wing. Select products can be delivered directly to DIY and Pro customers in as fast as 20 minutes.

Customers within the eligible delivery area can access a dedicated “Lowe’s by Drone” storefront through the DoorDash app. The initial assortment includes hand tools, paint products and household products such as soap, tape, all-purpose cleaner and batteries.

Wing drones currently transport orders weighing approximately 2.5 pounds per flight, positioning the service primarily for small, time-sensitive items that customers may need to finish a project or avoid leaving a jobsite.

“By piloting drone delivery, we’re addressing a real project pain point with an innovative solution that is integrated into the retail journey,” Lowe’s Chief Information and AI Officer Seemantini Godbole said.

MDM Analysis

Drone delivery has gained considerably more traction in consumer retail than in B2B distribution. Amazon began making U.S. Prime Air deliveries in December 2022 and said in August that it plans to expand the service to nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026.

Distribution-sector applications have been more scattered.

In 2022, Winsupply completed its first aerial drone delivery, transporting a flow control product about three miles from its Miamisburg, OH, distribution center to a nearby Winsupply local company. The distributor envisioned eventually using drones to get small, urgently needed products directly to contractors at jobsites.

That same year, healthcare distributor Cardinal Health began long-range drone deliveries with Zipline in North Carolina, supplying certain pharmaceuticals and medical products to an independent pharmacy chain. Deliveries could arrive in as little as 15 minutes.

Earlier efforts included NAPA Auto Parts Canada partnering with Drone Delivery Canada in 2016 to test depot-to-depot and depot-to-customer deliveries, followed by a similar development agreement with plumbing and HVAC distributor Wolseley Canada in 2017.

And on Sept. 15, digital workplace technology integrator AVI-SPL announced a partnership with Matternet aimed at using autonomous drones to deliver critical equipment and replacement parts to field technicians in metropolitan markets.

Lowe’s drone pilot also follows its push deeper into professional building materials distribution. The company announced its $8.8 billion acquisition of Foundation Building Materials in August 2025 and completed the deal Oct. 9, adding a distributor with more than 370 locations across the U.S. and Canada.