Volvo Cars pioneers two-hour in-car delivery service with Swedish start-up urb-it

Volvo Cars, a leader in the field of connectivity in the automotive sector, is set to disrupt the delivery experience with the introduction of a new service that promises in-car delivery of your online shopping in less than two hours.

The ground-breaking collaboration with Swedish start-up #urbit will enable #volvo Cars to expand its tried and tested in-car delivery service and provide a foundation for a game-changing approach to delivery services, while reimagining how we use our cars.

“We understand the value of the in-car delivery service we have developed. We’ve all had phone calls at work from delivery people trying to deliver packages to our homes that need to be signed for when there is no one at home. With our in-car delivery service, we effectively turn your car into a delivery location and assign a one-time digital key to the delivery person, effectively eliminating delivery failure,” said Björn Annwall, Senior Vice President of Marketing Sales and Service at #volvo Car Group. 

urbers

urb-it’s real-time delivery service ensures you get the item you have ordered within two hours of clicking the buy button on your smartphone, radically changing the online shopping experience people are used to. The Swedish start-up employs students and other part-time workers who get paid per delivery and uses geo-location and availability to choose your personal urber, as the delivery people are known.

Each urber is strictly vetted by #urbit to ensure a high-class service and traceability. You always know the name of the individual urber that is delivering your shopping. Once the urber receives your order on their mobile device, they collect the items at the shop by presenting the special order code. They then take your package and deliver it directly to your car in less than two hours.

“It’s really quite simple, which is what makes it so effective. You shop online from an urb-it-enabled store and simply choose to have the shopping delivered to your #volvo. This can be at a pre-determined time that suits you, or as quickly as possible. You can follow the collection and delivery process on your mobile device if you wish, or just wait for confirmation of delivery. If the package is not delivered in less than two hours, delivery is free,” said Björn Annwall.

Volvo Cars launched in-car delivery commercially on Black Friday 2015 together with Sweden’s largest distribution company and an online food store. The premium car maker is now offering a range of connected car services to its customers in selected markets utilising its digital key technology, which allows #volvo owners to grant one-time access to their cars for in-car delivery purposes. #volvo Cars is working toward expanding this range of services to its customers around the globe.

Volvo Cars is adding #urbit to its in-car delivery services in Stockholm City for an initial trial period during 2016. Availability to #volvo owners will increase as the #urbit service expands to several European cities this year and more than 200 cities worldwide by 2025.