Amazon and its in-home delivery
Online retailer, Amazon is constantly looking for innovative ways to drive up sales and entice consumers by integrating the latest technology into its services. In the last year, the firm has unveiled several new concepts which include flying drones over homes to deliver parcels to backyards and monitoring homes to see what products people need in order to tailor their marketing strategies.
Amazon couriers are now taking their delivery service to the next level by introducing Amazon Key which will be launched on 8th November to 37 US cities. This will allow the firm’s couriers to deliver parcels securely inside the customer’s front door without any physical keys or access codes.
To carry out this new service, consumers of Amazon Key will need to have access to the app, a smart lock and Cloud Cam cameras. Although the devices were designed primarily for in-home delivery, Amazon is hoping to expand its services by allowing you to grant access to your friends and family.
The process includes simple steps which begin with Amazon authorising the delivery, switching on the Cloud Cam and unlocking your front door. Customers would then receive confirmation that the package has been delivered and are given the option to watch a live stream of the parcel being delivered or watch a replay of the delivery later on.
According to Amazon, the in-home service would be hugely beneficial for people who do the normal working hours and are unable to collect their parcels during the day. However, analysts believe that Amazon must do more to convince consumers that the system is secure if they want it to be a service which is used on a large scale.
Amazon Key is a leap forward in the firm’s vision of managing home life and incorporating the service into our daily routines. Amazon Prime now has approximately 85 million customers and many are likely to show interest in the in-home delivery service due to its convenience and security of parcels being delivered inside their homes.
There are many concerns surrounding this service and whether customers will actually allow the online retailer to monitor their homes at every minute of the day and whether the convenience of having packages delivered safely outweighs the issues around privacy.
However, one thing is for sure; the new launch will provide insight into how many customers actually trust the firm and whether technology will continue to mediate our lives.
