Audio By Carbonatix
Amazon.com has plans to drop off packages directly into shoppers’ homes.
The world’s largest online retailer on Wednesday announced Amazon Key, a lock and camera system that users control remotely to let delivery associates slip goods into their houses. Customers can create temporary passcodes for friends and other services professionals to enter as well.
The move, in the works for more than a year, may help Amazon capture sales from shoppers who could not make it home to receive an order in person, and did not want the package stolen from their doorstep. It also signals Amazon’s ambitions in the growing market for home security devices, where Alphabet Inc’s Nest Labs competes.
“This is not an experiment for us,” said Peter Larsen, Amazon vice president of delivery technology, in an interview. “This is a core part of the Amazon shopping experience from this point forward.”
Members of Amazon’s Prime shopping club can pay $249.99 and up for a cloud-controlled camera and lock that the company offers to install. Delivery associates are told to ring a doorbell or knock when they arrive at someone’s house. If no one greets them, they press ‘unlock’ in a mobile app, and Amazon checks its systems in an instant to make sure the right associate and package are present.
The camera then streams video to the customer who remotely can watch the in-home delivery take place. The associate cannot proceed with other trips until the home is again locked.
It is unclear if such protections will persuade customers that the service is safe to use.
Larsen said theft was “not something that happens in practice,” based on early tests of the Amazon Key program.
He added that if a problem arises, “You can call customer service, file a claim and Amazon will work with you to make sure it’s right,” reimbursing customers in some cases.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Amazon’s biggest retail rival, has similar plans. It said last month it would test delivering grocery items “straight into your fridge” with August Home, a smart lock business that Assa Abloy AB said it will acquire.
Amazon’s new service goes live on Nov. 8 in 37 U.S. locations, the company said. The “Cloud Cam” is also available by itself for purchase, it said.
Latest Stories
-
Daily Insight for CEOs: The CEO’s role in innovation management and new value creation
1 minute -
2025 JoyBusiness Review: Gov’t should be celebrated for the small economic gains – Joe Jackson
3 minutes -
Ofori-Atta extradition handled with dispatch, says Kpebu, blames OSP for delays
7 minutes -
214,812 delegates to vote in NPP presidential primary
29 minutes -
Ofori-Atta has no intention of returning to Ghana to face charges – Martin Kpebu
52 minutes -
Australian PM announces crackdown on hate speech after Bondi shooting
1 hour -
Ghanaian President of ECOWAS Bank named among Africa’s 100 Transformational Leaders
1 hour -
Africa must build systems thinkers, not elite technocrats – Yaw Nsarkoh
1 hour -
Yaw Nsarkoh challenges AU, AfCFTA to rethink human capital and development orthodoxy
2 hours -
Joy FM Family Party in the Park lands blissfully in Aburi in just 8 days on Boxing Day
2 hours -
Minority cautions government on financing strategy for new Accra–Kumasi highway project
2 hours -
Foreign Minister Ablakwa confirms probe into death of 18-year-old Ghanaian student in Latvia
2 hours -
Thailand bombs near Cambodia’s Poipet border crossing
2 hours -
Foreign Affairs Ministry probes death of Ghanaian student in Latvia after family alleges foul play
2 hours -
Seasonal hype is a trap for impatient investors
2 hours
