In-home package delivery seems like a great convenience as it limits the potential for theft. But it also requires consumers to scale a mountain of doubt about letting a stranger into their homes when they're not there.
That could be why Amazon (AMZN 0.39%) is scaling up its Key by Amazon service to over 4,000 cities by focusing instead on in-garage delivery.
Image source: Amazon.com.
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The e-commerce giant announced Thursday that tens of millions of Prime loyalty program members are now eligible to have packages securely delivered inside their garage, so long as they have the myQ smart garage door opener app.
According to Chamberlain Group, the manufacturer of the myQ technology, most garage door opener brands made after 1993 are compatible with the technology. A Prime customer only needs to link the myQ app with Key by Amazon, and then choose the in-garage delivery option at checkout. Customers can be notified of the delivery and can watch the delivery being made through a Ring home security camera.
Along with package delivery, Amazon is also expanding its in-garage grocery delivery option to five cities. Customers ordering from Whole Foods Market or Amazon Fresh can similarly have their orders delivered to their garage.
Walmart previously launched an in-home grocery delivery service several years ago, but went one step further by having the delivery person put the groceries away for you in the refrigerator. Instead of the last mile, Walmart promised to conquer "the last 15 feet."
Amazon also offered package delivery to customers' car trunks for OnStar- or On Call-equipped vehicles, though that service was paused during the coronavirus pandemic.
