On Dec. 1, the day before Cyber Monday, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos announced the electronic commerce company was testing delivery by drones. The corporate mogul revealed that the goal of the venture is to transport packages into customers’ hands in 30 minutes or less. His statement has drawn diverse reactions given the controversy surrounding drones. The aerial devices are notoriously used by the United States military to target enemy combatants in foreign nations, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

While these unmanned flying machines offer a viable option for fast and convenient delivery and have the potential to change the national commercial industry, the technology has yet to catch up to demand. Bezos asserted that the drone program could be ready in as little as two years, but technology analysts estimate it would take much longer for the Amazon team to work out the real kinks in the autonomous aircraft they debuted just before the rush of Cyber Monday customers the next day.

However, Bezos admits the realization of a drone delivery service is not “around the corner.” Considering Amazon’s history of concealing information about its devices, the lengthy timeline for Amazon’s drone delivery system raises questions about the company’s strategy behind the premature announcement. With the necessary regulations and safety technology for drone delivery several years away, Amazon’s statement functions more as a Cyber Monday advertisement for the world’s largest online retailer.

Aside from imperative technology developments in safety and reliability, Amazon also needs to obtain approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which has not yet legalized the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles. There is a roadmap that Amazon and other companies will need to follow in order to gain approval. Even after they have permission to fly, the drones will likely take decades to be completely phased in and produce the major changes in the industry Bezos suggests.

This is not to say Amazon is not a genuine innovator — the company already deploys robots in its warehouses to help workers fill boxes. The creative minds behind Amazon certainly have the capacity to implement a drone delivery system in the future. Today, however, the company’s announcement is not indicative of an immediate release, but of a marketing ploy to attract consumers on the busiest online shopping day of the year. Unsurprisingly, the idea worked.

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, Dec. 4 print edition. Email the WSN Editorial Board at [email protected].