The extensive lengths Amazon goes to deliver packages can be stymied by a different kind of last-mile problem: Thieves nabbing stuff left on the doorstep. To combat these so-called ‘porch pirates,’ Amazon is considering a new program that would give its delivery employees one-time access to your car trunk or even inside your home, sources told CNBC. But Amazon has been toying with these ideas for years, making it uncertain whether either idea will make it to consumer deliveries soon.
For car deliveries, Amazon is in talks with Phrame, which makes smart license plates with a key-storing compartment unlocks via smartphone. Then users can remotely grant a delivery person access for them to pop open the trunk. Amazon is also toying with a smart doorbell that would recognize and allow delivery persons to enter on a one-time basis.
Amazon started trying out trunk deliveries in a pilot program back in 2015, following up on Volvo’s trial the year before. Reports surfaced a year later in September 2016 that two companies connected to the shipping giant, smart lock maker August and garage door firm Garageio, were both exploring allowing delivery persons temporary entry into homes to drop off packages. Like those earlier news points, Amazon’s latest forays into house or trunk delivery were only reported via unnamed sources, so it’s unclear how seriously the company is considering these alternative methods.
Source: CNBC
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