Volvo recently demonstrated a new connected car technology which they are calling “Roam Delivery.” The idea, to allow drivers and passengers to have their shopping delivered straight to their car, no matter if they are in their cars or not.
Roam Delivery will be featured at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Volvo’s new digital technology means people will be able to order a pizza and have it delivered right to their car using a smartphone or tablet connected to the internet. The technology works from a digital key a Volvo owner can handout when needed to a delivery driver or restaurant. The digital key can track when the car is opened and locked again. Once the pick up or drop off is completed, the digital key gets deleted and doesn't exist. (Hopefully this is the case.)
“By turning the car into a pickup and drop-off zone through digital keys, we solved a lot of problems delivering goods to people, not places… And there are benefits for delivery companies as well because failed first-time deliveries generate significant costs for companies.,” says Klas Bendrik, Group CIO at the Volvo Car Group.
The system is based on the functionality Volvo has already built with it's telematics app Volvo On Call. The Volvo On Call app already makes it possible to remotely heat or cool a car, see a Volvo's location, or check its fuel level via a mobile device.
The Roam Delivery technology was tested in a pilot program with 100 people, 86 percent of which agreed that the Volvo technology saved them time and hassle. In addition the pilot program revealed 92 percent of participants found it more convenient to receive deliveries to their car than at home.
With connected services like Roam Delivery Volvo hopes the future connected car will be much more than just a means of transportation. Earlier this year Volvo launched Sensus Connect, an integrated on board navigation and infotainment experience. Volvo's strategic partnership with Ericsson builds further on the idea of the networked community by examining a host of consumer-centric concepts around the “Connected Vehicle Cloud” that will see the driving experience revolutionized in the near future.
Volvo points out that last year about 60 percent of online shoppers had problems with their deliveries. In a report from the Future Foundation, between 2010 and 2011, citizens in all of the countries studied showed increased feelings of being under time pressure in their daily lives. Despite eCommerce and online shopping growing each year, research also showed more 50% of shoppers are not at home to receive online deliveries, which means getting a delivery to your car could provide peace of mind and convenience.
How would you feel about having packages delivered to your car at work or at your house? Would it be convenient or would you not want the deliveryman to get into your car?
