Volvo Cars has demonstrated what it claims is the world’s first delivery of food to the car – a new form of ‘roam delivery’ services.
The service, which will be showcased at the Mobile World Congress, will allow consumers to have their shopping delivered straight to their car, no matter where they are.
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Volvo’s new digital keys technology will allow consumers to choose their car as a delivery option when ordering goods online. Via a smartphone or tablet, the owner will be informed when a delivery requires dropping off or picking up from the car.
Having accepted the delivery, a digital key will be activated which tracks when the car is opened and then locked again. Once the delivery is completed, the digital key ceases to exist. The system is based on the functionality of the telematics app ‘Volvo On Call’, which also makes it possible to remotely heat or cool the car and see its position or fuel level via the mobile phone.
Earlier in 2014 Volvo Cars launched Sensus Connect, an integrated on board navigation and infotainment experience. Volvo Cars’ strategic partnership with Ericsson builds further on the idea of the Networked Society by examining a host of consumer centric concepts around the “Connected Vehicle Cloud” that sees the driving experience revolutionized over the coming years.
‘Roam delivery’ is one example where Volvo Cars explores the potential of connected cars to create solutions which will simplify the customers’ everyday lives. The pilot programme has also revealed 92% of people found it more convenient to receive deliveries to their car than at home.
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By GlobalData“By turning the car into a pickup and drop-off zone through using digital keys, it’s now possible to deliver the goods to persons and not just places. The test-customers also indicated that the service clearly saved time. And the same thing is valid for delivery companies a well! Because failed first-time deliveries cost the industry an estimated EUR1bn (US$1.372) in re-delivering costs. We are now further investigating the technology of digital keys and new consumer benefits linked to it,” said Klas Bendrik, group cio at Volvo Car Group.
