the article
In the article I read, it was proposed by Amazon that they will potentially be able to deliver packages via autonomous quad-rotor drones sometime 2015 when regulations regarding airspace, aircraft, and drones are put in place. The basic idea behind this is that you would order your package and approximately half an hour later a drone would deliver it assuming your delivery is 5 pounds or under, which is the maximum capacity the drone would be able to transport.
future implications
Assuming that the necessary laws are passed in 2015 rather than later, this could potentially revolutionize how small packages are transported. For this to work however, there are various issued that would need to be addressed such as navigation, obstacle avoidance, and safety among other concerns. This drone would also be more likely to be used in a more heavily populated urban area. Should these various issues be addressed, this could help cut down on traffic due the lower number of deliveries that would need to be made by vehicle and make ordering packages online a much similar affair.