Over one hundred billion packages are shipped every year — and technology like the internet, which makes ordering packages easier, drives a lot of that traffic. Luckily, innovators are using technology like apartment intercoms to simplify jobs and make life easier for everybody involved in the delivery process.
Here, we’ll go over how online deliveries grew to have so much importance. Then, we explain how technology can help you make deliveries happen faster and easier — whether you’re the driver dropping a package off, a property manager ensuring that the package is delivered safely, or a resident retrieving the package.
Why should you prioritize online deliveries?
The number of online deliveries is increasing every year. Online deliveries are a fact of life for many Americans, and that number will only increase as people start to embrace the ease and convenience of deliveries. So, you should prioritize online deliveries to cater to your tenants’ changing needs.
From small deliveries like lunch orders to larger packages that contain furniture, online deliveries are an increasingly significant part of the economy. Food deliveries alone netted distributors, restaurants, and grocery stores over 185 billion dollars in 2022 — a number that’s expected to grow closer to 400 billion by 2027!
Demographically, younger generations have a few reasons to prioritize online deliveries. Compared to other generations, millennials and Gen Z have markedly lower rates of car ownership and fewer driver’s licenses.
Instead, they’re depending on public transit and ride-sharing apps. As a result, if there’s something they’d like to buy, they’re more likely to order it online instead of going to a store.
Delivery drivers and technology
There’s no question that technology has changed how delivery drivers work. Recent innovations like GPS have helped ensure that drivers rarely get lost or deliver a package late.
But other innovations help drivers reach their destinations even faster. For example, many navigation apps also use real-time monitoring and machine learning algorithms to indicate obstructions like traffic and real-time road closures.
Driver efficiency has more benefits than you may realize. In addition to saving drivers time, less time spent on the road means fewer emissions are emitted by delivery trucks — helping drivers go green and reduce the rate of climate change.
How property managers can make intaking packages easier
Every property manager ranks security as a high priority. But convenience is what allows managers to attract and retain tenants. So, how can you balance these two priorities?
When delivery drivers drop off a package, property managers have a lot of choices to make. How far into a property should a delivery driver be allowed to go? Should they leave their packages in the lobby, at a front desk, or right at a resident’s door?
The most efficient way to answer these questions, and take full control over your property, is with the right access control hardware, like apartment intercoms and keypads.
The best access control systems are electronic, and they come with delivery pass functionality — allowing residents to distribute PINs that keep your property secure and make access convenient for drivers.
For example, you might set up a package room to store deliveries until residents can pick them up. When residents distribute a PIN, they’ll authorize the driver to enter the front door and the package room.
This PIN will expire after a certain amount of time. Further, it won’t work on unauthorized gates or doors — ensuring that couriers can’t access any areas they’re not supposed to.
Residents and package reception
The best access control systems know that every resident might want to handle things differently and offer multiple ways for residents to receive packages.
You’ve already read about the delivery pass functionality that some intercoms offer. But what if a resident has forgotten to set their delivery pass up? Luckily, there’s another option that requires no setup.
The best intercoms connect to residents’ smartphones and allow them to swipe to open the door.
A resident might be across town — or the country. But no matter where they are, today’s internet-powered intercoms can connect to a resident’s smartphone and allow for a real-time video conversation between drivers and residents.
Then, all the resident has to do is swipe on their phone to allow the driver in — ensuring that residents never miss a package again, and saving staff from hours of dealing with drivers.
Conclusion
Online deliveries are becoming more popular every year. You can prepare for the coming online delivery wave, no matter where you fall in the delivery process.
If you’re a delivery driver, you can use GPS apps that save you time. Property managers can process deliveries faster with technology-enabled package rooms, and residents can make sure they never miss another delivery because they can now open their front doors remotely with their smartphones.
