Daimler’s Smart brand’s think tank to accelerate the development and implementation of creative urban mobility projects has come up with ‘smart ready to drop’, a service that makes online shopping easier.
In cooperation with DHL Paket, Smart will enable parcels to be delivered to the boot of a car. The beta test will start in the autumn in Stuttgart, followed by Cologne, Bonn and Berlin a few months later. The service will eventually be offered in seven German cities. The smart cars taking part in the beta test will be retrofitted with the required Connectivity Box at the dealership. From the autumn, an exclusive Smart Fortwo ‘ready to’ edition will come equipped with the Connectivity Box.
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‘Smart ready to drop’ makes online shopping delivery easier. All the driver has to do is specify their car as the delivery address. The delivery driver will also pick up return parcels.
‘smart ready to drop’ is claimed to further maximise the car’s use especially in the city and offers a mobility concept that goes beyond driving. The beta test is the biggest in-car delivery test ever performed in Germany.
Smart chief Annette Winkler said: “This is the beginning of our next drive to further enhance the quality of urban life. This is our way of staying true to our pioneering role in urban mobility. A lot of other services that make city life easier are also in the works. For example, private car sharing.
The brand established the Smart lab to accelerate the development and implementation of creative urban mobility projects. The Smart lab is the brand’s think tank. The easy-going and unconventional start-up mentality of the lab’s creative employees is what enables this innovative platform to drive new mobility ideas, according to Daimler.
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By GlobalDataThe delivery driver is given one-time keyless access to the boot of the drop-off car through a special app developed by Smart. Winkler said Daimler’s successful car2go car-sharing scheme, a;ready with over 1.9m customers worldwide, has enabled it to gain more experience with digital access systems than any other automaker.
Jürgen Gerdes of DHL said: “After successfully completing the in-car delivery pilot project last year in Germany, we are now using the know-how we gained with Smart to develop yet another attractive service for a young, internet-minded target group.”
