Source: Amazon
Amazon.com has announced the launch of Amazon Key, a new service that allows Prime members to have orders delivered inside their homes.
Amazon Key will initially be available in 37 cities starting on Nov. 8. The service will cover millions of products sold on Amazon and will not cost anything additional for Prime members. Amazon Key will work with all of the e-tailer’s free home delivery options — same-day, one-day, two-day and standard shipping. Once a customer has set up the service, they may select the in-home option while shopping. Amazon said it will handle the rest with “no passcodes, no fuss,” according to a company press release.
Amazon Key enables Prime members to monitor deliveries with real-time delivery notifications and gives them the ability to use video to see products being delivered live or later after the delivery is complete.
To gain access to a customer’s home, drivers need to request access. Amazon verifies that the correct driver is at the right destination through an encrypted process. Once access is granted, drivers are recorded by an Amazon Cloud Cam as the door is unlocked.
Prime members interested in the service may pre-order the Amazon Key kit that includes the Cloud Cam and compatible smart locks. Customers may install the kits themselves or take advantage of the free professional installation that comes with each kit. The kits sell for $249.99.
Amazon is planning to leverage Key to offer other services and conveniences beyond product deliveries. Prime members, for example, will be able to grant keyless access to family and friends. The company also plans to offer services such as Merry Maids house cleaning, pet sitters and dog walkers from Rover.com, and thousands of others through Amazon Home Services.
“Amazon Key will make it even easier to cross a major chore off your to-do list by letting the professionals at Merry Maids take care of the house cleaning while you’re not home,” said Nik Varty, CEO of ServiceMaster, the parent company of Merry Maids, in a statement. “We are thrilled to be teaming up with Amazon so that their customers in need of professional home cleaning services can take advantage of this innovative, convenient and secure service.”