Amazon begins delivering packages directly to customers' cars
Amazon now offers free delivery straight to the boot of your unattended car.
The company announced today that it has begun delivering packages in 37 US cities to Prime members who own newer General Motors or Volvo vehicles.
Packages will be placed in the trunks of cars parked in publicly accessible areas like a customer's home or workplace, and then secured.
The service, called Amazon Key In-Car, is available in cities including San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Nashville, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C.
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Amazon has begun delivering packages in 37 US cities to Prime members who own newer General Motors or Volvo vehicles (pictured). Packages will be placed in the trunks of cars parked in publicly accessible areas like a customer's home or workplace, and then secured
Deliveries are available to Prime members with 2015 year or newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicles with GM's OnStar connected-car service, and those with a 2015 or newer Volvo vehicle with an active Volvo On Call account.
The company has not yet revealed if it will offer the service to UK customers.
The system taps into your car's built-in unlock feature without ever giving the delivery person a pass code or other permanent access to the vehicle.
'Everything is securely encrypted between the two services,' said Rohit Shrivastava, Amazon Key's general manager.
Shrivastava also said that Amazon cannot see or track the customer's car.
Instead, the customer gives Amazon an address where the car will be parked and publicly accessible, along with the make, model, colour and license plate number to help the delivery person find the right vehicle.
As part of its announcement, Amazon released a video showing trial customers using the new in-car system (pictured). The service, called Amazon Key In-Car, is available in cities including San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Nashville, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C
HOW DOES AMAZON'S NEW IN-CAR DELIVERY SYSTEM WORK? Amazon is now offering customers a delivery service that drops packages into the trunk of your car. Deliveries are left in cars parked in publicly accessible areas like a customer's workplace or home. The service is only available to Prime members in select US cities who own newer General Motors or Volvo vehicles. Customers using the service give Amazon an address where their vehicle is parked. They also provide the car's colour, make, model and license plate number to make it easier to find. An Amazon delivery person then taps into the car's built-in unlock features to open the boot and place a package inside. They shut the trunk and lock the trunk once the package has been delivered. Throughout the process, Amazon sends customers reminders to keep them updated before, during and after the delivery has been completed.
Customers also get several reminders on their phones before, during and after the packages are delivered.
To access the new feature, Amazon Prime customers need to download the Amazon Key app.
From there, they can link their connected car and start their Amazon orders. No additional hardware or devices are needed.
To access the new feature, Amazon Prime customers need to download the Amazon Key app. From there, they can link their connected car and start their Amazon orders. Pictured is one of the service's trial users accessing a delivery in her trunk
Deliveries are left in cars parked in publicly accessible areas like a customer's workplace or home. Packages can be placed in the trunk or the back seat (pictured left and right) of vehicles
The in-car delivery service is part of Amazon's drive to leave packages where they cannot be easily stolen.
It builds on an effort Amazon launched last fall called Amazon Key.
That system uses a $220 (£160) combination of an internet-connected door lock and camera to allow Amazon delivery drivers to place packages inside the homes of Prime members.
HOW DOES AMAZON KEY WORK? Amazon Prime members can pay $249.99 (£190) and up for a cloud-controlled camera and lock that the company offers to install. Delivery associates are told to ring a doorbell or knock when they arrive at someone's house. If no one greets them, they press 'unlock' in a mobile app, and Amazon checks its systems in an instant to make sure the right associate and package are present. As part of the Key service, subscribers of Amazon Prime, the firm's free, two-day shipping program, can also take advantage of in-home delivery The camera then streams video to the customer who remotely can watch the in-home delivery take place. The associate cannot proceed with other trips until the home is again locked. It is unclear if such protections will persuade customers that the service is safe to use.
By contrast, the in-car delivery service is free for Prime members.
The in-home delivery option put Amazon in direct competition with so-called smart home security companies such as Alphabet Inc's Nest Labs and presaged Amazon's $1 billion (£700 million) acquisition of internet-connected doorbell maker Ring.
But the new in-car delivery service may have broader reach because it works with many compatible cars from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Volvo.
Amazon says it plans to deliver to more makes and models in the future.
The service builds on an effort Amazon launched last fall called Amazon Key (pictured). That system uses a £160 ($220) combination of an internet-connected door lock and camera to allow Amazon delivery drivers to place packages inside the homes of Prime members
In a statement, GM said there are at least 7 million owners of compatible GM models.
Amazon has not disclosed how many customers have tried its Amazon Key in-home service.
In-car delivery also gives Amazon an in-between option for customers who might want a more secure delivery location than the front porch but do not want delivery people inside their homes.