Key takeaways:
- Lowe’s has begun testing drone delivery at a single store in Matthews, North Carolina, promising delivery of small home improvement items in as fast as 20 minutes.
- The pilot relies on Wing drones and the DoorDash app, building on a partnership the two companies have operated in the Charlotte area and expanded from an earlier U.S. launch in Christiansburg, Virginia.
- The move comes as Lowe’s leans harder on technology, including its Mylow AI shopping assistant, to drive online growth even as it trimmed its full-year sales outlook amid a cautious consumer and a stalled housing market.
Lowe’s has become the first home improvement retailer to offer drone delivery, launching a pilot program at its store in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. The company said select items can now reach DIY and professional customers in as fast as 20 minutes, according to a press release.
The pilot adds to a list of same-day fulfillment options Lowe’s already offers, including buy online, pick up in store, curbside pickup and same-day delivery. Customers can order through the DoorDash app, where a dedicated “Lowe’s by Drone” storefront will appear if their address falls within the eligible delivery zone near the Matthews location.
The product list is narrow by design. Lowe’s said the pilot covers a curated selection of hand tools and paint products, plus household basics such as soap, tape, all-purpose cleaner and batteries. Wing’s drones can carry roughly 2.5 pounds per flight, a limit that rules out larger purchases but fits the kind of last-minute items that stall a project, according to the company.
“At Lowe’s, our mission is to solve problems and fulfill dreams for the home,” said Seemantini Godbole, Chief Information and AI Officer at Lowe’s, in a statement. “To achieve this mission, we’re removing friction from home improvement and making it easier for customers to enjoy their home. Any technology we implement is designed to eliminate that friction so our customers can complete their projects quickly. By piloting drone delivery, we’re addressing a real project pain point with an innovative solution that is integrated into the retail journey, giving our hometown customers next-generation fulfillment right when they need it.”
Photo: Lowe’s.
DoorDash and Wing’s Partnership
Lowe’s isn’t the first retailer to test drone delivery through DoorDash and Wing, the drone delivery unit of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. The two companies began working together in Australia in 2022, a partnership that expanded to three locations in Queensland with more than 60 participating merchants.
DoorDash brought the model to the U.S. in March 2024, launching in Christiansburg, Virginia. Wendy’s served as the first restaurant partner in that pilot, with orders typically arriving in 30 minutes or less. At the time, Cosimo Leipold, head of partnerships at Wing, said the company had made more than 350,000 deliveries across three countries.
Lowe’s pilot builds on Wing and DoorDash’s existing operations in the Charlotte area. In addition to Charlotte, Wing currently operates in Atlanta, Dallas-Forth Worth, Houston and Orlando. The company has plans to expand to 12 U.S. cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phildelphia and Miami.
Lowe’s Technology Push
Lowe’s is leaning into technology as its core business faces real headwinds. In its second-quarter 2026 earnings report released in August, Lowe’s trimmed its full-year outlook to roughly $92 billion in total sales and adjusted diluted earnings per share of approximately $12.25, down from a prior range of $92 billion to $94 billion in sales. Comparable sales are now expected to be flat for the year, down from a prior forecast of flat to up 2%.
CEO Marvin Ellison told analysts that Lowe’s core customer, a middle-income homeowner with a strong balance sheet, is being cautious with discretionary spending amid fuel prices, geopolitical uncertainty and other macroeconomic pressures. Discretionary DIY spending has stayed soft, while repair and maintenance work has held up better.
Online sales have been a bright spot. Comparable online sales rose 15.7% year over year in the second quarter, the second straight quarter above 15%, a gain executives attributed in part to Mylow, the company’s AI-powered shopping assistant. Mylow has fielded approximately 25 million customer questions since its 2025 launch, and Lowe’s said customers who engage with the tool convert at three times the rate of those who don’t. A companion tool, Mylow Companion, gives store associates real-time product information.
Neelima V. Sharma, SVP, Omnichannel and Ecommerce Technology at Lowe’s, recently appeared on a Retail TouchPoints webinar to talk about how AI is playing into the company’s broader strategy. Watch that here.
