Zalando trials 'in-home' delivery service, 50% of shoppers like the idea

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Dec 14, 2018

German e-tailer Zalando has trialled a delivery service that allows online shoppers to receive their orders even when they are not at home.

Tested in Belgium in partnership with bpost, the purpose of the trial was to see if customers felt comfortable with the idea of a delivery person accessing their home while they weren’t present.

The in-home delivery was enabled by a ‘smart doorbell’ and a ‘smart door lock’ connected to the customer’s phone, which announced the arrival of a Bpost courier and allowed the customer to remotely unlock the door to let them in. To ease customers’ security concerns, the process could be monitored remotely and customers had the option to deny access for whatever reason and at any time.

“Every customer has their own needs and delivery preferences,” Patrick Leysen, VP Future Lab at Bpost commented.

But a study revealed that the in-home delivery service might not be exactly what customers want. Zalando said that a survey of 750 online shoppers revealed that only 50% said they would  feel comfortable trying in-home delivery by Bpost.

However, of those who tried the service, 90% said they would continue using the technology even after the test. Once the hardware is installed and people experience the service, convenience wins over concern, Zalando said.

“Testing is deeply embedded in Zalando’s DNA,” said Jan Bartels, VP of customer fulfilment and logistics at Zalando.

“We continuously innovate and rethink our services to offer our customers more flexibility and variety. In-home delivery could be an interesting new option for our service portfolio. Technology opens an array of possibilities but we also see that customers demand transparency and detailed information on the service. Together with bpost, we look forward at engaging in close dialogue with our customers.”

It remains unclear if Zalando will trial the service in other countries, but in-home delivery could become a new delivery option for customers in the future.