Liefery delivers parcels to German apartments at night with keyless system

German same-day company Liefery is delivering online orders to customer doorsteps at night in cooperation with property technology start-up KIWI.KI GmbH, which provides a keyless entry system for apartment buildings.

Liefery, in which Hermes owns a majority stake of 68%, already delivers over 700,000 parcels per month and is now expanding its delivery options by using the KIWI keyless entry system.

KIWI.KI GmbH specialises in keyless access to home entrances. Users no longer need a key for each door, but can open it via a transponder or app.

This technology will now also enable parcel delivery staff at Liefery to open the front doors of apartment blocks to deliver orders at night. The drivers receive access rights to the building’s entrance through the Liefery app. They then leave the parcel directly in front of the door to the recipient’s apartment. When placing an order, the customer indicates whether he or she agrees to the order being placed in front of the door.

"In recent years, Liefery has developed a whole range of innovative and sustainable last mile solutions," said Liefery managing director Nils Fischer. "One of these is the delivery into the hallway which we have been testing together with KIWI. It offers recipients a completely new, technology-based option for receiving parcels and even enables deliveries at low-traffic times, e.g. during the night.”

Not only customers and logistics companies benefit from the more efficient delivery operations. The high traffic volumes in cities can also be minimised through the use of digital technology. Independence from the presence of the recipient also makes night deliveries possible, which relieves rush-hour traffic.

Karsten Nölling, Managing Director of KIWI, said that the cooperation corresponds exactly to the KIWI vision. "As a platform for digital access, KIWI can be used by anyone who needs access, whether these are residents, craftsmen or delivery staff. This preserves resources and ensures more efficient infrastructure in cities.”

The keyless concept is obviously only possible in houses that have Kiwi digital locks. So far, around 64,000 apartment buildings are due to be equipped with them, including 5,000 in Berlin. The KIWI technology is used by housing companies such as Degewo and Gesobau, as well as by Berlin companies such as Berlin Recycling and elevator manufacturer Schindler, who regularly require access to houses. The waste management company Alba also has been using the keyless system to optimise their processes since 2014.

The keyless technology is expected to be safer than that used by automobile manufacturers for their vehicles. "We have applied for a patent for our encryption algorithm," KIWI spokeswoman Julia Rubin said.

It is unclear whether simply leaving the parcel in front of the apartment door at night increases the risk of theft. Liefery speaker Friedemann Nierhaus said that user experience with other, similar delivery concepts would confirm that there is no increasing danger in this respect. However, to prevent so-called “vampire delivery”, Liefery is currently working with a partner on a special insurance policy, Nierhaus added.

Access authorisations for KIWI’s keyless entry system for apartment buildings can be managed centrally via the KIWI portal. House administrators are spared unnecessary journeys and the worry of having the right key in the right place at the right time is eliminated. Over 65,000 housing units are connected to the KIWI infrastructure and more than 500 housing companies are among KIWI's customers.

According to the German Parcels and Express Logistics Association (BIEK), almost 4 billion consignments will be transported in Germany in 2020, which is more than ever before. With the rising volumes, delivery on the last mile becomes a major challenge. Therefore, innovative concepts are in demand to help logistics companies cope with the flood of parcels.

Founded in 2014, Liefery is active in over 25 German cities and delivers over 700,000 parcels every month within the desired delivery time slot. Customers include leading (multi-channel) retailers such as Amazon, Zalando, REWE Online, HelloFresh, Bringmeister, ASOS, H&M, Nike, Nespresso, Würth, Notebooksbilliger, SportScheck and 1&1. Last year, Hermes Germany increased its stake in the same-day start-up from 28.5% to 68% to exploit growth potential beyond its traditional parcel business.