Zalando has started testing smart home technology that should allow couriers in Belgium to deliver parcels inside customers’ homes, even when they are not there.
Smart doorbell, smart lock
In-house delivery works though an app linked to a smart doorbell and a smart lock, which a few dozen Zalando customers in the Antwerp region have received. If a courier arrives at the address, he will ring the smart doorbell, which is connected to the customer’s phone. The customer then deactivates the smart lock from a distance and opens the door. The courier puts the parcel inside and closes the door.
“Those who participated in the experiment, were completely convinced: 93% of the participants said they would continue to use the technology after the test, for example to give access to the kids or the cleaning lady,” says Bpost Future Lab’s Patrick Leyson in Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. The test is a first for that lab and came as a result of a poll with 750 online shoppers. Half of them expressed faith in the idea of deliveries made directly in their homes. Others had questions about privacy and trust.
Car brands such as Volvo have been experimenting with similar technology before, testing how couriers could deposit online orders directly in car trunks.
