Big companies in the United States like Domino’s and Amazon have expressed their desires for drone-centric carrier systems in the near future. As of now, many of these potential delivery drones tested already in smaller communities. This is to give an estimate on the drones’ capabilities, dealing with deliveries at a smaller scale. Before you can see these humming drones outside the apartment windows of big cities, they have to work their way up. That future is more of an inevitability, more than mere wishful thinking. Sooner than later, we can order things at the comfort of our homes, and it will arrive hours – if not minutes later – at your doorstep.
With the recent emergence of interest for delivery drones, this new regime does pose a question. Will you be able to trust a drone to deliver your items? Will you be at ease relying on automated drones instead of the tried and tested human carriers?
In a recent study held by the PwC 2018 Global Consumer Insights Survey, it turns out that reactions are mixed. These delivery drones may not have a lot of clients that want their help.
And Survey Says…
The field consisted of 22,000 consumers from 27 different territories globally. This means that the survey had a very diverse background to base their answers from. It turns out that only 38% of the participants would trust their items to come by drone. And of those people who said yes, only 16% would allow drones to deliver any product they ordered. A larger amount, 22%, would trust delivery by drone with items of low value.
So that’s basically it. Can you trust a drone? Maybe. Do you trust it enough to deliver items worth hundreds of dollars? An automated machine that runs on a battery? I guess the lines get blurrier when your items are on the line, huh?
Going back to the survey, 26% of the consumers would not even consider getting their deliveries via drones. I guess when it comes to reliability, there is still no beating human intuition. With human carriers, you can at least make sure they deliver to the correct address. Drones may not be as accurate. Drones also put a lot of attention to themselves. They fly in the sky and drop down at a slow pace. Any would-be thief can spot this a mile away and immediately know that there is a package nearby. An unmanned package which the owner may or may not be aware that has arrived.
Old fashioned deliveries are spotty enough as it is. The owner may not be home, the carrier may not handle it properly, or risk the item snatched on your porch. It goes double for drones which only take packages to its destination.
So what’s your answer? What will you do when the wave of the future hits your doorstep? Do you welcome it? Or will you stick to the old and tested ways?
