Are drone deliveries the glue of Amazon, Whole Foods merger?

Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods has, so far, produced discounted avocados. But, with US$13.7 billion on the line, we’re anticipating a lot more from the Seattle-based e-commerce giant, and much of that speculation has focused on how the two companies will merge/leverage their respective logistics strengths, and how that might impact future e-commerce logistics.

Austin-based design firm Argodesign is betting on a fundamental reorganization of retail, as Amazon’s obsession with efficient logistics merges with the Whole Foods mentality of providing fresh and locally sourced food. At the heart of their projections are drone deliveries, providing rapid delivers to customers like the floating restaurants in in Luc Besson’s 1997 classic The Fifth Element.

While, at first glance, Argodesign’s speculations seem far-fetched, their mockups of an outward facing “Echo Fridge” mounted outside apartments, are bizarrely sensical. For suburban houses, the Echo Fridge is larger, allowing a small vehicle to pull up. In all instances, Amazon owns all the infrastructure and equipment involved, with customers paying for services and equipment.

Your fridge monitors consumption patterns, and drones and algorithms take care of the rest.

Co.design has more analysis of this revolutionary new way of grocery shopping that’s worth reading, reminding us that in exchange for convenience, we should ask ourselves: “Wouldn’t I be crazy to let Amazon catalog how much of that Snickers bar I actually ate?”

To learn more about future innovations in freight forwarding, air freight and logistics, join us at Air Cargo World’s ELEVATE Conference in Miami, Oct. 2.