Waitrose to deliver groceries to customers while they're out
Waitrose announced on Friday it will trial it’s new ‘While You’re Away’ delivery program that would allow drivers to access customers’ homes to unpack groceries while they’re out.
The company will test the project with 100 customers in south London after it proved popular in the US and across Scandinavia.
‘While You’re Away’ allows a customer with Yale smart-lock technology to set a temporary access code that is sent to Waitrose via a secure app. The code is then sent to the delivery driver’s device when they arrive at the customer’s house and is deleted as soon as the groceries are delivered.
For security, the driver will record the delivery on a camera worn on his or her chest with the video being available on request by the customer the next working day.
Waitrose has security measures in place, but before signing up to the service customers should check whether giving someone access to their house could affect home insurance.
The grocer predicted it would be able to make the service available to more than 1,000 customers in spring 2019 depending on the outcome of the trial
Archie Mason, the head of business development at Waitrose & Partners, said: "There is certainly an increasing demand among our customers to make shopping with us even more convenient to fit around their busy lifestyles."
To start off, there will be a minimum order of £25 and a minimum of six deliveries, although Waitrose said it would review this after the trial.