Special Delivery … To Your Car
Ordering online saves time and energy–unless you miss the package delivery. What if you could get packages, or dinner, delivered special delivery … to your car?
By Kimberly Phipps
Sorry we missed you!
Remember when we all started ordering things online? Oh, the wonderful convenience of seeing a picture of gorgeous pair of shoes, clicking on a button, and having the shoes arrive magically at your door! Of course, we still love that, but somewhere along the line, the magic wore off. If you’re home all day, but leave the house for 10 minutes to walk the dog, chances are good that your package will arrive precisely at the moment you leave. The delivery person leaves the sticky note on the door, but you can’t get the package delivered again until the next day, which means the extra $15 you paid for express shipping was a total waste. Or your neighbor signs for the package, but then leaves on a 2 week vacation, leaving your new shoes locked away in her apartment. All the time and energy you saved by not walking around the mall for two hours is now spent convincing your office manager at work that your delivery really is a personal package, and you didn’t spend company money on a pretty new comforter and sheets.
What if your packages could be delivered to you wherever you are? You could be in a movie theater, catching up on all the Oscar noms, and when you came out to your car, your deliveries from Coolstuffonline.com would be waiting for you in the back seat. Or, say you’re driving home from work and realize that you really need some Thai food before heading to your parent/teacher conference. You never know when a generous offer of pad thai to a hungry teacher could make the difference between a “needs improvement” to “a joy to have in class” on Junior’s report card. If only the restaurant could deliver dinner to your car instead of your house!
Pull over, I have your pizza
Ever on the lookout for ways to make out daily lives simpler and better, Volvo has been testing out a program that makes delivering things to your car a reality. Volvo’s new digital key technology means people will be able to choose their car as a delivery option when ordering goods online. Via a smartphone or tablet, the owner will be informed when a delivery company wants to drop off or pick up something from the car. The customer, via smartphone, issues a digital “key” to the delivery person, and is able to monitor when the car is unlocked and locked again. After the delivery is made, the key is deleted.
The roaming delivery service was tested out during a pilot program with 100 people, and over 80% reported that the service did save them some time. Merchants and shipping companies benefit as well, since it saves them the time and hassle of having to make a second delivery.
