Dive Brief:
- Amazon Key is expanding in-car delivery to make it available in Ford and Lincoln vehicles, Ford announced Tuesday.
- The option is currently available in 50 cities, an Amazon spokesperson told Supply Chain Dive in an email.
- "Receiving a package securely and reliably in your car, without you having to be there, is something we think many people will appreciate," Atif Rafiq, the chief digital officer at Volvo Cars, said in a statement when the service was originally launched last year.
Dive Insight:
In-car delivery is another move by Amazon to expand its last mile offerings. Amazon Key was announced in 2017 as a new way for the online retailer to deliver packages securely: by letting the delivery person into a consumer's home. This expanded last month to add garage delivery.
These services aim to keep packages out of the hands of porch pirates looking to poach any newly delivered Amazon boxes. A 2017 survey by Wakefield Research and Xfinity Home found 30% of respondents who live in a house or townhome had been a victim of package theft.
Amazon has also described such deliveries as convenient for consumers. But plenty of people have come to the conclusion that letting Amazon into this many aspects of your life can feel a little creepy.
Users download the Amazon Key app to link their Amazon account with their connected vehicle. Amazon shoppers will then be given an "in-car" option when checking out and selecting their delivery method.
The cars where this is currently available include:
- 2015 or newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac.
- 2015 or newer Volvo with an active Volvo On Call account.
- 2017 or newer Ford with FordPass Connect.
- 2018 or newer Lincoln with Lincoln Connect.
The app will provide notifications to the customer with alerts when it is headed to the car and when it has been delivered. The app will also let them know when the car is locked and unlocked.
"In-car delivery gives customers that same peace of mind and allows them to take the Amazon experience with them," Peter Larsen, the vice president of delivery technology at Amazon, said in a statement. "And, with no additional hardware or devices required, customers can start ordering in-car delivery today."
Correction: A previous version of this article said Amazon Key in-car delivery launched in April 2019. It launched in April 2018.
