Please note this article is written as an explanatory piece from a writer for our content partners at CNN Newsource.
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Now, the company wants access to the trunk of your auto. The online retail behemoth today announced it’s bringing the Amazon Key in-home delivery service to vehicles-even when people aren’t in them. The catch? You need to be a Prime member. You can check if your vehicle qualifies and if Amazon offers the service in your area here .
Unlocking delivery possibilities: With Amazon Key, millions of Prime members can now have packages delivered inside their cars at no extra cost. Customers with 2015 model year or newer Volvo vehicles can activate their Volvo On Call connected service subscription within the Volvo On Call app.
Not that Amazon needed a lift (and the actual key was a digital one.) I was testing a new program, launching Tuesday, that lets Amazon drivers unlock a customer’s vehicle via an app and leave their packages inside it, rather than on their doorstep.
The new delivery option makes sense given Amazon’s almost $14 billion purchase a year ago of Whole Foods, known for its organic and natural foods products.
Now Amazon can open our front doors and cars, too. An alert is sent to customers when the process is completed. At checkout, a new option appeared for “in-car delivery”.
“In addition to the Best of Amazon, you’ll be able to get lovely products in the Whole Foods market store”, said Allon Katz, director of Prime Now.
Amazon never ceases to surprise us, and perhaps this in-car delivery will expand beyond your driveway or office parking lot. Walmart says it will reach more than 40 percent of US households via its expansion this year, but it was only offering delivery in six markets as of March. Customers will be notified when the delivery has been completed and the auto is relocked.
To use Key In-Car deliveries, you’ll add your compatible vehicle to the Key app (the same one used for home deliveries).
In addition to enabling in-car delivery, Amazon Key is a smart entry solution that offers customers keyless entry, remote lock and unlock, and guest access, as well as the option to have packages delivered inside the home.
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Delivering packages inside instead of leaving them on your porch should cut down on theft, although Amazon Key requires a certain level of trust. For GM and Volvo, Key gives them an opportunity to show off their latest technology while offering a differentiating feature in a cutthroat market. This can be to the building of your delivery address or in-car delivery on the next delivery day. Receiving a package securely and reliably in your auto, without you having to be there, is something we think many people will appreciate.
