Denver is expected to be among the cities where Amazon starts letting customers give package carriers access to their homes.
Amazon announced its new Amazon Key service on Wednesday. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant plans to unlock the new service for Amazon Prime members in 37 cities starting Nov. 8.
“Amazon Key gives customers peace of mind knowing their orders have been safely delivered to their homes and are waiting for them when they walk through their doors,” said Peter Larsen, vice president of Delivery technology for Amazon.
“Now, Prime members can select in-home delivery and conveniently see their packages being delivered right from their mobile phones,” Larsen said in a statement.
Amazon officials must have guessed people might be apprehensive about letting strangers in when they're not home because the company is rolling out a bundle of security features with its new service.
To use Amazon Key, customers will have to buy the roughly $250 Amazon Key In-Home Kit featuring an Amazon Cloud Cam indoor security camera and a compatible smart lock from Kwikset or Yale.
After that, each time a delivery driver wants to get in a customer’s home, "Amazon verifies that the correct driver is at the right address, at the intended time, through an encrypted authentication process. Once this process is successfully completed, Amazon Cloud Cam starts recording and the door is then unlocked. No access codes or keys are ever provided to delivery drivers. And, for added peace of mind, in-home delivery is backed by Amazon’s Happiness Guarantee," the company said in a release.
Amazon Key could also be used for cleaners, dog sitters and other service providers as well as family and friends
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Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/adriandgarcia.
