Amazon Prime members in Germany will soon be able to request orders to be delivered directly to their car boot. The new delivery method will first be tested in early May 2015 is a pilot project with Audi and DHL.
This new service has been made possible through a combination of innovations in the mobile Internet and automotive technology. During the checkout process customer merely indicates the approximate location of their car during the requested delivery period. When the delivery driver arrives at the customer’s car, they receive a temporary digital one time access code which unique to the order. This enables the delivery driver to open the car boot and deliver the order. By closing the trunk the vehicle is relocked automatically.
The cars participating in the pilot will be modified to enable the tracking and one time keyless access and, although limited to Audi cars, Amazon say that they hope to expand to all car manufacturers in the future. Amazon are also considering how to make returns from your car boot a reality.
This is definitely not a delivery solution that will fit everyone’s needs, for starters you need to know where your car will be (office car park, home, park and ride, hotel, trip to the beach) and your car will need to be in position for most of the day to ensure it’s there for your delivery slot.
What it does demonstrate however is Amazon’s commitment to carry on innovating in the delivery space and, along with deliver to home, to neighbour, to safe place, to locker, to click and collect locations, is just one more option to make receiving goods a convenience giving the buyer choice and to remove the pain point of having to wait in for a parcel or make the dreaded collection from a courier depot.
4 Responses
This would mean they would have to remove the option to lower the back seats from within the boot which is the case on most new Audi cars. Otherwise the driver has access to the car.
So the delivery drivers would risk their careers and their companies Amazon contract? And being fully aware of a boot delivery in progress the car owners would of course leave treasure in the glove compartment?
However not withstanding the above just wondering how car insurance companies might view this development?
enough keyless entry cars are being stolen as it is. focus rs being a prime example, alongside the audi’s etc. and is a problem close to me personally..
the dlivery driver may not nick the car, but whats to say they dont get in, copy a key and months later the car goes, long after the owner has forgotten they let a delivery in?
keyless entry via coding keys has brought up a whole new business of OBD (eg computer port) locks and services to jam them, making it hard for thieves.
eg monitor the car, and nick later. used to be done by screwdriver using theifs. then the knifepoint / gun point stealing with force upon you of keys, and now just electronic means.
be interesting to see how insurance companies and even the courier companies compensation schemes will work on this one.