BARCELONA, Feb 21 — Volvo’s latest technological innovation would let consumers give their car as the delivery address when making online purchases.

Web companies like Amazon and eBay may have revolutionised how we browse, select and make purchase, whether it be clothes, computers and tablets or even the weekly groceries.

However, until someone invents a robot that can stay at home, open the door, check the parcel and sign for the resulting delivery, one element of the online shopping experience will remain decidedly old-fashioned and frustrating — having to stay at home waiting for the delivery.

Volvo’s potential solution to this problem is to allow online shoppers to select their car as the delivery address. It’s secure, locks with a key and, when not in use as a means of transportation, is at a fixed location.

The system is built around digital key technology and will be publicly demonstrated for the first time at the Mobile World congress next week.

The concept is actually pretty simple: A shopper who has selected their car as the delivery address receives an alert via a smartphone or tablet app when a delivery company wants to make a delivery or a collection. Using the app to accept the delivery generates a digital key that will allow the person with the package to be able to open the car once. When the doors or boot close again, the “key” immediately ceases to function.

The car’s owner will be able to track the whole process live via his or her mobile device; the function is built into Volvo’s existing Volvo On Call telematics app that offers remote control features — such as turning the heating or air conditioning on, locking or opening doors — and access to other vehicle-related information such as the car's physical location and current fuel reserves.

Volvo has already trialled the system with a small group of 100 testers, 86 per cent of whom were impressed by the service and agreed that the feature saved time.

“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. The test customers also indicated that the service clearly saved time. And there are benefits for delivery companies as well because failed first-time deliveries generate significant costs for companies. We are now further investigating the technology of digital keys and new consumer benefits linked to it,” says Klas Bendrik, Group CIO at Volvo Car Group of the technology.

Volvo claims that according to research, in 2013, 60 per cent of online shoppers had problems with their deliveries and despite increasing use of online shopping, more than half of shoppers are not at home to receive online deliveries, leading to further inconvenience and time wasted.

“It’s all about finding solutions that are intuitive, easy to use and create customer benefits. The important thing is to make these complex and advanced systems easy to understand for everyone, even behind the wheel. Having the ability to order deliveries directly to your car is just one early example of that,” says Bendrik. — AFP-Relaxnews