A Study on the Barriers to the Adoption and Commercialization of Drone Delivery Services by Logistics Companies

While drone delivery services are emerging as a next-generation logistics system, the actual adoption level among logistics companies in South Korea remains in its early stages. This study aims to identify key barriers hindering the adoption of drone delivery services from the perspective of logistics companies and to derive practical strategies for commercialization. To achieve this, two rounds of Delphi surveys were conducted with 23 experts in related fields such as drones, logistics, distribution, and policy. The first open-ended survey identified 35 barrier factors, which were categorized into five domains: institutional, economic, technological, social, and ethical. In the second structured survey, each factor was evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale for its importance. The results were quantitatively analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation (CV) to assess the level of consensus among experts. Key barriers identified included the absence of a sustainable revenue model, lack of business integration, need for realistic pricing, performance limitations of drones, high operating costs, and restrictions on beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights. Internal consistency of expert responses was verified through Cronbach's alpha, confirming an acceptable level of reliability. In response, qualitative solutions were proposed for each category of barrier, and priorities were matched based on the relative importance of each issue. This study contributes academically by systematically analyzing the challenges of drone delivery adoption from the supply-side perspective of logistics companies and offers practical insights by presenting policy and operational strategies. However, the study is limited by its reliance on qualitative expert opinions. Future research should expand to include demand-side perspectives and quantitative prioritization analyses.