Amazon is obsessed with last-mile delivery
For instance, it is making delivery drones that will drop stuff on your front door step, and it's exploring towers to house them. But more recently, it's interested in ensuring deliveries actually arrive at their final destinations. According to CNBC, Amazon is reportedly developing a smart doorbell and even considering a partnership with Phrame, a maker of license plate frames that can securely store car keys.
Here's the deal: To stop a thief from making away with a package that has been delivered right to your door, Amazon's new initiatives could give its delivery drivers a one-time access to your car trunk or the inside of your home. CNBC has described how Amazon customers could remotely unlock their Pharma box and give delivery drivers access to their car's trunk so a package can be safely left behind.
Phrame said its users can already grant "secured one-time and time-limited access for a courier to open your trunk and deliver your package", so it's not like this is an idea straight from science fiction. Amazon has been mulling these sort of concepts for years, too. CNBC also claimed Amazon is currently developing a smart doorbell device so delivery drivers can have a one-time access to your home.
Before you balk at the feasibility of these concepts, consider the fact that Amazon has developed cashier-less stores. Plus, smart door locks are already on the market, like the ones from August, and we can imagine Amazon partnering up with them so that users can remotely allow delivery drivers to enter homes. It all does sound a little too invasive for our taste, but hey, some might like it.