John Lewis, Jaguar Land Rover Test Delivery

Department store operator John Lewis of the U.K. is making it easier for customers to buy by teaming up with Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion venture arm to test delivering items to the trunks of customers’ vehicles.

According to a report late last week, the service will be powered by toBoot with support by InMotion and will rely on toBoot to place a smart box in the customers’ cars that let them add their vehicle as a delivery destination. A courier will receive a GPS location of the car and a one-time code that permits them to get in the trunk and deliver the package. The customer will receive real-time updates on their mobile device, including an order confirmation and a digital photo that confirms the package has been delivered to the trunk. The report noted that Amazon had started a similar partnership with Audi and DHL two years ago, and Daimler, Volvo and Volkswagen have also launched their own test projects, although the report said this is the first of its kind in the U.K.

“We’re excited by how new technologies can help us create new, convenient options for our customers, so when Jaguar Land Rover approached us about this idea, we were excited to work with them to test the concept. Having deliveries made to your car [trunk] has the potential to be a major breakthrough,” said John Vary, innovations manager at John Lewis, in the report. The report noted that John Lewis first started testing the idea in 2016 with a small study in which packages were delivered to Jaguar Land Rover staff. A larger group of Jaguar Land Rover customers will be able to take advantage of the service later in 2017. Down the road, the service may move beyond Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, said the report.