Bpost and Zalando have been experimenting with with in-home delivery and in-home pickup in Belgium. And according to reports the companies have declared the test a success but there are still problems to solve before the service is rolled out across the board at any time. One of the problems identified were the numerous types of door that are currently in use.
For the test, participants got a smart door lock made by Nuki and also a smart doorbell from Nest installed on their front doors and also an app to help them track delivery.
The focus of the experiment was on emotion, not technology. If we go back to ecommerce in the ’90s, hearts and minds had to be won before the general public truly embraced online credit card payments. We’ll experience a similar curve with smart home technology and the Internet of Things. It sounds very basic, but it turned out to be a hurdle for us. A door is not exchanged for a newer model in the same way a phone or television is, for example. And in a renting society, the owner of the door is not necessarily the person living in the house.”
– Remko Bakker of Zalando
Somewhat amusingly, the trial as it stands at the moment, excludes households with pets. But we imagine that more specifically excludes homes with cats and dogs that could escape, or attack the deliverer rather than homes with goldfish. Obvioulsy, this is a similar service to the Amazon in-house delivery service that we wrote about at the end of 2017.
The tests were undertaken in Antwerp in Belgium and the focus of the trial wasn’t purely on the technology that they have developed but also looking at whether customers were prepared to let people into to their house while they’re not in. That has always certainly been the criticism from Tamebay readers who have often been sceptical that new services on a security basis.
