Amazon expands in-garage grocery delivery to more than 5,000 cities

Amazon is expanding its in-garage delivery option today to every city where it offers grocery deliveries. According to the company, that's now over 5,000 US cities where Key by Amazon Garage Grocery Delivery can be used to have Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods orders left directly in your garage. You can check to see if the service is available near you by entering your ZIP code on Amazon's site.

Formerly known as Amazon Key, the Prime membership perk allows couriers to enter homes or garages equipped with compatible locks and cameras to drop off parcels. Amazon launched the service in 2017 to solve porch piracy and offer an extra layer of convenience for customers who couldn't be home to receive a delivery. Since its introduction, Amazon has added Key support for in-car deliveries and brought the service to businesses.

Here's how it works: Eligible Prime members can shop online via Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods as usual, then select "Key Delivery" at checkout. You will, of course, need a compatible garage door opener, or a myQ Smart Garage Hub (available from Amazon for $29.98). For the full experience, add a Ring smart home camera (such as the Indoor Cam and Stick Up Cam) or myQ Smart Garage Camera to watch your delivery in real time, or view a video clip of it later. Amazon also sells an in-garage delivery bundle.

Once the order is placed and filled, a "delivery service professional"— who has undergone "comprehensive" background checks—will appear at your garage, where they'll await authorization from Amazon before receiving temporary one-time access to open the door. Customers can opt in to mobile notifications when groceries arrive.

Customers relied on online grocery delivery services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's clear they'll continue to use grocery delivery because of the convenience it provides. In a recent survey by Morning Consult commissioned by Amazon, nearly 70% of Americans report that grocery delivery is beneficial when they don't have time for a trip to the grocery store. Of the 54% of Americans who highlighted convenience as the most important benefit of grocery delivery, 77% reported saving time as a beneficial advantage.

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