Albert Heijn is testing smart door lock

Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn is currently experimenting with a smart door lock, so groceries can be delivered to a customer’s place, even when the customer isn’t at home. The test is part of Albert Heijn Online Labs, which invents and develops new concepts to improve the supermarket’s service.

“We are currently investigating the possibilities of delivering groceries using smart door locks”, the company states on its website. “Using the latest technologies, we can provide access to the barns or homes of our customers by using these smart locks. This means we can literally put the groceries in the fridge. Of course we will only do this with the customer’s consent”, the major supermarket chain explains.

It’s unclear how long the test will take place and with how many consumers the experiment will run. According to several sources, the kick-off of the test takes place at Ahold Delhaize’s headquarters this week.

It’s not the first pilot project from Albert Heijn Online Labs. Earlier, it connected the online shopping service with IFTTT, it enabled consumers to have groceries delivered within two hours and it partnered with Transavia to let consumers order groceries while they are flying.

From Noki to Nuki

The smart lock that Albert Heijn is experimenting with, comes from Nuki. This company was established in 2013 and gained international attention with a Kickstarter project in May of 2015. Interested people pledged a total of 385,000 euros, while the goal was to get 125,000 euros. After the successful Kickstarter project, the company changed its name from Noki to Nuki.

Expansion in Europe

In November 2016, Nuki officially launched and a half year later, the company expanded to the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Last year, it also launched in Switzerland, Italy and Spain.