Here is the previous post on Amazon Key, which begins services on Nov 8 in about 37 cities. Many are skeptical about the usefulness or the need for the service. For instance, here is “I’m not ready for Amazon Key” on CNBC, and a dramatic narration (“I’d rather have porch pirates steal my sponges than let Amazon in my house“) of the trust-in-service path point that I made in my previous post on Amazon Key. Here is a Statista chart capturing the results of a poll: “How comfortable do you feel about guest access via smart locks?” (source: in the chart). Here is another chart through Morning Consult that gives some additional information on reception to the idea based on…
Leave a CommentTag: Last-Mile
The Amazon Cloud Cam and compatible locks. Photo Credit: Becca Farsace / The Verge Amazon has just released Amazon Key to Amazon Prime members. (I am not an Amazon affiliate, i.e., I derive no financial interest from the link). Amazon Key is a product-service bundle that includes buying an indoor security camera, and a compatible (electronic) smart lock on your door (totaling $250). Hardware is not dead yet. See detailed coverage at Verge. How does the Amazon Key delivery work? Amazon authorizes the delivery, then turns on the security camera, and unlocks the customer’s door. The customer will get a confirmation (via email/text) that his or her package was delivered. Customers can watch the delivery live or later through a recorded…
Leave a CommentWall Street Journal reports that Amazon has signed contracts with Apartment building owners and managers in order to install 850,000 locker units in apartment complexes. One of the challenges that remain in last-mile deliveries is “matching” delivery times with guaranteed time windows. Say, you need a delivery to be made between 1-3 pm on Tuesday. It is hard for a firm (i.e., expensive to accomplish, not mathematically hard) to make sure that the delivery occurs exactly in that window. Having some select products in stock at lockers in apartment complexes will address some of the “matching” problems. This is effectively like the consignment model in the medical devices industry. The devices are physically held at hospitals, but owned by device companies…
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