Holiday shopping will be pleasant for those in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo kickstarted its own commercially-available In-car Delivery service that aims to liberate consumers who choose to shop online.
With the new service, online shoppers can have the package delivered directly to their cars, even if they are away from it. The whole delivery process becomes feasible with a unique one-time-use digital key that couriers get to unlock the client's vehicle.
"[The In-car Delivery service is a] fantastic opportunity to take away the hassle from doing online shopping and being at home waiting for the delivery," Volvo chief information officer Klas Bendrik says in an interview with CNBC. "This can free up time for people."
Of course, letting delivery men have access to an unattended vehicle is an obvious cause for concern. Some safety nets are also in place. Aside from voiding the one-time access digital key after it is used, logs of when the car was unlocked and locked are also kept. Moreover, Volvo is aware of the problem and Bendrik divulged that the company is already in talks with insurance companies to ensure that the deliveries are covered.
Aside from the insurance companies, Bendrik also revealed that Volvo is also working with other companies and that its "landscape of partners" is quickly developing.
"This actually shows one of the areas where Volvo is pioneering - how to collaborate in these larger econ systems and this is what we're seeing in this in-car delivery service," Bendrik adds.
Volvo says that the initial responses are positive and that the new service is gaining public interest. The company plans to implement the In-Car Delivery service in other countries.
It should be noted that Audi also introduced a similar service called Audi Connect Easy Delivery earlier this year. Packages from Amazon were delivered by DHL to Audi automobiles.
Below is the promotional video for Volvo's In-Car Delivery System.
