John Lewis is to begin what is believed to be the first ‘in boot delivery’ pilot programme in the UK. The omnichannel retailer is working with Jaguar Land Rover’s innovation arm InMotion to test a system for delivering goods to customers’ car boots.

InMotion’s startup toBoot was first trialled in 2016 with a small scale study using Jaguar Land Rover’s staff. The new product test is to be extended, using John Lewis and Jaguar Land Rover customers.

As with other in-car delivery products a smart box is put inside of the boot of the customer’s car. The delivery driver receives a notification of the car’s GPS location as well as registration number. They are also given a code that provides a once-only access to the boot and box within. Using an electronic device they open the boot and put the parcel in and close the boot.

As we have previously reported at Apex Insight there are a number of similar in-car delivery concepts out there that have been trialled by Smart, Volvo and Daimler amongst others. The John Lewis / Jaguar Land Rover pilot is believed to be the first such in the UK.

John Lewis’ innovation manager John Vary said: “Having deliveries made to your car boot has the potential to be a major breakthrough.”

In January Apex Insight reported how Deutsche Post DHL have partnered with Smart to extend their trial to a number of German cities to get a better handle on the issues that arise through greater numbers of participants. Such tests may lead to the system being used by delivery companies internationally in the not too distant furture.

 
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