Long gone are the days where delivery associates left valuable packages and Amazon items in front of your door, in your yard or left in a place which they felt suitable (roof, garden, fence etc). In 2018, Amazon announced a lock and camera system that users control remotely to let delivery associate slip the goods into their houses.
With this systems, customers can create temporary passcodes for friends, as well as other services professionals to enter their home. As Peter Larsen, the vice president of delivery technology at Amazon says:
“This is a core part of the Amazon shopping experience from this point forward.”
The move may also help Amazon to capture sales from shoppers who are not home when the delivery comes – or ones who could not make it home to receive an order in person (but don’t want their package stolen from their doorstep). Aside from this, it gives a push to the new technology and Amazon’s ambition in the growing market for home security devices.
As Larsen stated: “This is not an experiment for us. This is a core part of the Amazon shopping experience from this point forward.”
The Amazon Key feature is also nicely introduced in a video that is published on YouTube (you can preview it below).
For all the skeptics, we have three solid reasons why this technology is good – and why it should not freak you out.
- Amazon tells you who delivers your package (with detailed information about the delivery and the person delivering your package).
- You can also review the delivery later (and download the clips from the same screen that tells you who delivered your package).
- You can watch the delivery live (the Amazon Key app makes this possible too)
Currently, the prices of the Amazon Key feature start at $249.99 for a cloud-controlled camera and lock that the company installs in every home. When the delivery comes, the associate is told to ring a doorbell or knock – and if no one greets them – they will press ‘unlock’ in a mobile app and Amazon will instantly check to make sure that the right associate and package are present.
The camera then turns on and streams video to the customer – who can remotely watch the in-home delivery process.
