(PRWEB UK) 20 January 2015 -- The days of having to wait at home for a delivery, or visiting a depot to pick up a missed parcel, will soon be over, claims pioneering web-based courier Fastlane International. In fact the company predicts deliveries will soon be able go straight to the customer, wherever they are.
New developments in GPS and mobile phone technology means parcel deliveries can now be made direct to consumers or straight into the boot of their car. It might sound the stuff of science-fiction, but in fact such services are already being trialed.
David Jinks MILT, Fastlane International’s Head of Public Relations says: ‘The technology that enables your sat-nav to guide you to your destination, or your smartphone to know the best places to eat or the weather overhead, wherever you are, can also be used to guide people and deliveries directly to you. Fastlane International’s research reveals that, very soon, everything from food to shoes to mobile tablets will be able to be delivered to your precise destination. If you are in a city, the service could be not just same day, but same hour or even quicker.’
Companies in the UK such as Shutl already use GPS to deliver items such as forgotten keys or laundry 24 hours a day to a specific address, within times significantly less than an hour at certain locations. However, Fastlane is predicting that very soon couriers will be able to deliver to the kerbside wherever you are. The same technology that drives Apps such as Find My Phone or Maps on your smartphone can be used to locate customers, providing they have their phone or Smartwatch on them. That means there will be no need to wait at a particular location; shoppers can carry on their day uninterrupted and, whether they are at work, the gym or on their way to a café; the delivery man can locate them.
And if customers don’t want their parcel delivered directly to them, how about to their car? Drop boxes have proved a popular alternative to home delivery, but, even more conveniently, your car can effectively be a mobile locker – and the owner doesn't even need to be with it to take delivery. Volvo’s Roam Delivery service has been trialled successfully in Sweden in conjunction with an online grocery provider and a third party delivery company. Shopper’s items are delivered straight to their car, which is located through GPS and unlocked and relocked through Volvo’s On Call technology.
And the UK is leading the way with direct-to-your-car deliveries thanks to companies such as Cardrops. When consumers sign up for the service a small beacon transmitter is installed in their vehicle. This can then be used to trace the car and unlock/lock it remotely when the delivery arrives. The company even tracks patterns of parking behaviour in order to plan parcel deliveries. And if people are worried about security all the information is time limited and the tracking can be switched off at any time. This kind of service is bound to catch on, predicts Fastlane. More information how to use your car as a dropbox is available on the Fastlane website.
Says David: ‘Recent IMRG research showed that failed deliveries cost UK retailers £771 million a year. That cost could be almost eliminated when next generation delivery technology is introduced. Fastlane International is celebrating its 30th year in 2015, but we are still very much looking to the future and to sharing next-gen delivery technology with customers and partners in the not so distant future.’ For more information see http://www.wedelivertheworld.com
David Jinks, ParcelHero, http://www.parcelhero.com/, +44 208 758 4962, [email protected]
SOURCE ParcelHero
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