Consumers — and even drivers — ready for driverless, drone deliveries

As hundreds of companies work on solutions to power the future of delivery, consumers have clear thoughts on which companies they trust to deploy these solutions.

According to a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers by software company Circuit, 55% of those responding said they trusted Amazon to handle driverless or drone deliveries. The e-tail giant was far ahead of second-place Walmart, cited by just 40% of consumers.

Rounding out the top five, in order, were Google (39%), Apple (36%) and FedEx (25%).

However, when it came to food delivery, Walmart jumped to the forefront, cited by 60% as the most trusted among food companies. Domino’s came in second at 40%, followed by Uber Eats (39%), Postmates (39%) and DoorDash (31%).

The survey found that over 80% of consumers would receive a pizza via drone delivery if they were in the middle of a park.

Overall, nearly 90% of respondents said they trust driverless and drone deliveries.

Circuit offers a software solution, Circuit for Teams, designed to minimize failed deliveries and improve driver efficiency and routing.

Consumers were asked a series of questions on AI-powered driverless and drone technology.

When it comes to what Circuit defined as “future delivery perks,” 82% of respondents said driverless and drone delivery would have a positive impact on society, while 78% said it would be positive for the economy. Delivery efficiency (75%), delivery quality (69%) and job opportunities (61%) were also viewed favorably.

While over 90% said they were interested in ordering products via driverless or drone delivery, respondents differed on the biggest perk based on generation. Baby boomers think the No. 1 advantage will be faster delivery times, while Gen Zers focused on less pollution as the top benefit.

Overall, 39% said faster delivery was the top benefit, followed by less traffic on the roads (36%), more efficient service (36%), improved road safety (34%) and less pollution (33%).

There are some negatives, though, that must be overcome. 

Respondents are concerned about technical errors (41%), security and hacking (40%), loss of delivery jobs (35%), reduced pedestrian/bike safety (35%) and high upfront costs (33%). Three in 4 respondents are fearful of “drone pirates” stealing items.

Circuit split the survey between consumers and drivers, with about 700 of the respondents being consumers. Of the drivers, while most (80%) are fearful of losing their jobs to AI, 90% believe it will ultimately benefit the industry.

Nearly 90% of delivery drivers said they are interested in a career focused on AI driverless and drone deliveries. Those making more than $40,000 per year were 10% more likely to consider a shift in career to focus on driverless and drone deliveries, Circuit found.

Delivery drivers also said they expect smart lockers (59%), self-driving cars/trucks (56%) and sidewalk robots (51%) to become normal in the delivery industry over the next five years. 

Drivers have their concerns, though. 

Chief among them is the loss of creative thinking that is sometimes needed to complete a delivery — cited by 70% of drivers. They are also worried that removing the driver from the equation would lead to a loss of emotional intelligence and empathy (63%), conflict resolution and negotiation (58%), critical thinking (50%) and strategic planning (32%).

“After all, it’s a lot more difficult to negotiate with a robot that drops down, delivers its package and zips away back to its warehouse to grab another payload,” according to Circuit’s research. “Once these are introduced, businesses offering excellent customer service will be more important than ever.”

Circuit concluded by noting the American public seems ready to accept driverless and drone deliveries, offering an opening to direct-to-consumer business owners and dispatchers to reach more customers and reduce their companies’ environmental impacts.

“Delivery drivers find where the industry is heading and are ready and willing to adapt,” Circuit wrote. “It’s up to trusted industry giants to harness those changes for both the consumer and their logistics departments,” Circuit wrote. “The public has shown they’re eager to use the new technology. Now, it’s only a matter of time before the roads and skies are full of robot butlers dropping packages into the hands of passersby.”

The post Consumers — and even drivers — ready for driverless, drone deliveries appeared first on FreightWaves.

Source: freightwaves - Consumers — and even drivers — ready for driverless, drone deliveries
Editor: Brian Straight