UPS has followed Amazon’s lead with the launch of its own in-home delivery trial, although this one will deliver to apartment blocks rather than individual homes. The company has begun a pilot with Latch smart access devices in New York City, allowing it to deliver to buildings of multi-unit homes. It follows initial tests in Manhattan earlier this year which have now expanded to Brooklyn.
“The use of smart access devices on doors of apartment and condominium buildings is a big step forward for the package delivery business,” Jerome Roberts, UPS vice president of global product innovation.
“It can be difficult to securely deliver packages in high-density, multi-family urban residences, especially when people are not at home. Smart access devices give us a keyless way to deliver packages to buildings and leave packages safely in lobbies or building package rooms. For our customers, it gives them peace of mind that their package will be waiting for them when they get home.”
However unlike Amazon the UPS trial means the company is only using Latch systems to enter buildings rather than individual apartments. In Amazon’s service, which launched last year, deliveries can be made into a customer’s home when they aren’t in through Amazon Key.
Image credit: UPS
