Order something from Amazon, and if the right conditions align—you own a recent Chevy or Volvo, for example—a delivery person could find your car, remotely unlock it, and plop your package inside. The new service is part of a system called Amazon Key, which already allowed customers with a smart lock and security camera to receive deliveries inside their homes. Now, the same idea extends to your home on wheels.
It’s easy to see why the straight-to-trunk service would appeal to both Amazon and its customers. Would-be package thieves can’t easily nab a box out of your car, and the system can deepen a consumer’s relationship with Amazon. An office worker who orders something could have the item placed directly in their vehicle in the lot outside, and have it skip the trip through the mailroom to their cubicle, for example. Someone on a road trip could receive their bulk beef jerky order straight to their car parked in front of the hotel.
But it also highlights how important it is for a contemporary car to not just be four wheels, an engine, and some airbags, but a connected aspect of people’s digital lives. That’s because Amazon’s car-delivery feature only works with modern General Motors vehicles that have OnStar enabled, or Volvos with the company’s On Call service. Connectivity is necessary because Amazon Key needs to be able to find your car and then remotely unlock it to drop off your package.
For automakers, in-car delivery “accelerates the urge to get all of these cars connected to the internet,” says James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research and a close Amazon watcher.
That, and it provides another reason for carmakers to continue the trend of adding sensors like cameras, to possibly someday record those deliveries. Right now, customers who get a package delivered inside their home can later watch of a video clip of the mundane event, but not so with the car delivery. But as cars incorporate more cameras—an important technology on vehicles for reasons beyond just package deliveries—that could change. (An Amazon spokesperson declined to speculate on whether or not they would someday add this feature.)
Read more at https://www.popsci.com/amazon-car-delivery
It’s easy to see why the straight-to-trunk service would appeal to both Amazon and its customers. Would-be package thieves can’t easily nab a box out of your car, and the system can deepen a consumer’s relationship with Amazon. An office worker who orders something could have the item placed directly in their vehicle in the lot outside, and have it skip the trip through the mailroom to their cubicle, for example. Someone on a road trip could receive their bulk beef jerky order straight to their car parked in front of the hotel.
For automakers, in-car delivery “accelerates the urge to get all of these cars connected to the internet,” says James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research and a close Amazon watcher.
That, and it provides another reason for carmakers to continue the trend of adding sensors like cameras, to possibly someday record those deliveries. Right now, customers who get a package delivered inside their home can later watch of a video clip of the mundane event, but not so with the car delivery. But as cars incorporate more cameras—an important technology on vehicles for reasons beyond just package deliveries—that could change. (An Amazon spokesperson declined to speculate on whether or not they would someday add this feature.)
Read more at https://www.popsci.com/amazon-car-delivery
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