Find out more
Would you give a complete stranger the key to your house and car? Turns out the answer is yes if it’s a smart key that enables access to an Amazon courier!
Amazon has been working with tech companies to work out how to gain secure access to your car boot and your home, even when you are out. Home delivery expert ParcelHero says it could be the ultimate convenience for busy consumers.
Amazon is set to announce it has cracked the problem of how to deliver groceries to your fridge or into your car boot, without shoppers even having to be there – thanks to smart access technology.
The e-commerce home delivery experts ParcelHero says Amazon is working with an automotive tech company to enable access your car’s boot or hatch; and on a ‘smart doorbell’ that gives one-time access to your home for deliveries.
ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks said: “The worry over how to take delivery of items when you are busy at work has never been properly solved. Parcel lockers aren’t always the most convenient solution. How much better if your items were just delivered into your hall or into your car, hassle free?”
Jinks added that British shoppers are likely to get smart entry deliveries soon, as the UK is frequently used as a test bed for new Amazon services. He said: “UK cities such as London and Birmingham are ideal for testing new tech in high density living areas.”
Sources familiar with the project revealed to US broadcaster CNBC that Amazon’s plans are well along with a company called Phrame, which makes smart car number plates that have a small security box attached.
This box contains a spare key to your car and is accessed by a code sent from the Amazon courier’s smart phone. Says David: ‘It sounds revolutionary, but in fact Audi, Volvo and delivery company DHL are all already working on their own version of this pioneering tech as well.’
And smart doorbells that let people into your home are already gaining in popularity both in the US and the UK. Jinks added: “It sounds risky, letting a complete stranger into your house. But this tech would give a one-off entry code, enabling secure delivery of items into your home.
“Smart doorbell systems are already becoming very popular, and most are also connected to the consumer’s phone camera – so they can see exactly who is gaining access and let them in remotely. Again, this isn’t just pie in the sky; Walmart announced a couple of weeks ago they were trialling something very similar.”
David is delivering a speech to leading logistics professionals on the impact of home delivery technology at the Richmond Supply Chain Forum in Luton on Tuesday, 17 October.
He says Amazon’s latest smart entry plans are the tip of the iceberg for home deliveries and the way we consume goods. ‘We have yet to come to terms with near instant consumer gratification possible through 3D printing, for example. Amazon is even developing vans to print goods en route to the consumer. By 2030 e-commerce will have transformed the way we shop entirely; and Amazon looks set to be leading that charge.’
ParcelHero’s recent report, Amazon’s Prime Ambition, reveals how the company intends to become the pipe through which all goods and services can be provided
Leave a Comment