Trunk-or-Treat is a popular alternative to traditional trick-or-treating, and parents love it because it is a safe, controlled environment for their kids to celebrate and have fun. The general idea is that a group of people meet in a parking lot, open their trunks, and hand out candy to kids as they go from car to car.
Well, with the “trunk” sometimes acting as the new porch, it shouldn’t be any surprise that Amazon is launching the next phase in their “take over the world” plan: delivering items directly to the trunk of your car.
Yes, you read that correctly.
How in the world will that work? Well, think about how smart locks work: you have a remote control to grant or deny access. Well, who knew that there is also a company that makes smart license plates that work the same way? Amazon knew, of course, and they are in talks with a company called Phrame that can help them bridge the gap to trunk delivery.
The smart plates themselves do not grant access to vehicles that exact same way that smart locks for homes do. Instead, the product includes a smart box. When attached to the car, it fits around the license plate.
The box is smart and can be controlled remotely by the car’s owner. The box will need to hold a key to your car, which the delivery driver will use to access your vehicle to leave your package.
Amazon is also trying to leverage smart video doorbells to offer the same type of service, but for the home. Drivers could get remote, on-demand access to homes for package delivery. Walmart is already experimenting with this service through a partnership with August.
The service focuses on home delivery of groceries that will go directly to your fridge, as well as standard packages that can be left inside your home. While that partnership is exclusive for Walmart shoppers and August product users, Amazon’s potential partnership(s) and deals are still top secret.
Both of these methods are great in that they attempt to reduce the incidences of package theft – as anyone can access your porch at any time. Even things like security cameras don’t always deter thieves.
There are, however, some flaws inherent with these methods. First, you have got to have a lot of trust for the companies that you are ordering from and the delivery services they use. Second, for those getting the delivery, they have to be 100% available to grant remote access.
If they are on a flight or in a meeting, they might miss it. Third, this probably isn’t going to be a great option for someone that has pets – what if they attack the delivery driver, or what if the delivery driver accidentally lets them out of the house?
Sure, the resident should secure their pet(s) if they are using this service, but, well, things happen when strangers are in your home.
Are you ready to give delivery drivers access to your car and home?
{Update: Amazon officially announced the Amazon Key program on October 25, 2017, which relies on smart home products and Alexa-enabled devices, including the newly launched Amazon Cloud Cam. Watch for a separate article on these announcements}
