Waitrose & Partners is using body worn cameras in a trial of its new in-home delivery service. Drivers enter a customer’s home while they are out and put their groceries away. All delivery drivers will wear Edesix cameras, which will record their movements when they enter a customer’s property.
The trial, which also uses Yale smart locks, is called ‘While You’re Away’, and has an initial 100 customers within the delivery area of its dotcom fulfilment centre in Coulsdon, south London. Waitrose, which is owned by the John Lewis Partnership, will be the first UK supermarket to try in-home deliveries.
Customers will set a temporary access code for their smart lock which will be sent to Waitrose & Partners via a secure app. The code will be forwarded to the driver at the scheduled delivery time and deleted after the delivery. A customer will be able to view the driver’s body worn camera video the next working day, if they wish. You can register interest in using the service by visiting www.wya.waitrose.com.
Archie Mason, Waitrose head of business development, says: “There is an increasing demand among customers to make shopping even more convenient to fit around their busy lifestyles. The concept of ‘in-home delivery’ has started to prove popular in other countries so we are keen to establish if there is an appetite for it in the UK.
“The fact that the movements of all delivery drivers will be recorded by Edesix Body Worn Cameras will give customers complete peace of mind.”
Richie McBride, managing director of Edesix, says: “We are delighted to team up with Waitrose & Partners on this exciting new trial. The use of our cameras will give in-home delivery customers the reassurance they need that nothing untoward will be taking place in their home while they are not there. This is yet another example of a new market Body Worn Cameras can be utilised for.”
Nigel Fisher, Managing Director for Yale UK, spoke of looking to understand how smart products can enhance daily lives, as well as protecting the home. “Our heritage and priority is in security, but the technologies we’re now working with means we can also collaborate with companies, like Waitrose, to also develop services that fit with modern life.”
Edesix reports winning contracts with the likes of UK prisons, Scotrail and South Australian Police. The firm supplies through direct sales and international partners, to Europe, USA, Canada, the Middle East and Australasia. Visit www.edesix.com.
