E-commerce sales have been rapidly increasing as individuals continue to take advantage of the convenience and wide variety of products they can purchase and have delivered directly to their doors. According to a report from the C+R research group, 59% of survey respondents noted that they receive at least one package every week, which is a 10% increase from their previous survey conducted in 2019.
The increase in e-commerce purchases has resulted in an increase in package theft. C+R reports that 43% of the same survey respondents had a package stolen in 2020, which is an increase from the reported 36% in 2019. Out of the 43% that had a package stolen, over half responded that they had multiple packages stolen. The President of the Postal Police Officers Association declares, “Mail theft is at epidemic proportions; it’s never been higher.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way consumers purchase goods, and 29% of the C+R survey respondents who reported having a package stolen noted that the first time they had ever experienced package theft was during the lockdown.
With Black Friday right around the corner, there are steps you can take to protect your packages from becoming victims of package theft.
Monitor Package Tracking: Most companies and the US Postal Service have package tracking services that provide real-time information regarding when your package has left a warehouse, where it is in the transportation process, and when it is placed on a truck for delivery. By tracking your package, you can be sure to be home in order to ensure that it is not sitting outside for an extended period of time.
Ship Your Packages to Work: Some companies allow their employees to have their packages delivered to the office. The best way to keep your packages safe is to get them off of the porch in the first place. This may not be the best option for those who work in a hybrid environment, but if you know you will be at work when your package arrives this can prevent a porch pirate from getting to your package before you do.
Install a Video Doorbell: Our homes are becoming increasingly smarter, and our doorbells are no different. There are numerous options to choose from, and oftentimes you can receive a doorbell that contains a camera when setting up a larger home security system. The basic function of a doorbell cam is when someone comes to your porch, motion sensors trigger the camera to start recording, which you can view through an application on your phone. Having a doorbell camera can aid the tracking down of porch pirates, but oftentimes the presence of a doorbell camera will deter a porch pirate from acting. Because they are very common, frequent package thieves are aware of what they look like and will purposely avoid homes that have them installed.
Set Up a Porch Package Locker: You may have seen an Amazon locker in an apartment building, office building, or at a grocery store in your town, and these systems are becoming increasingly more popular. The purpose of these lockers is to provide a safe and secure place to ship your packages that is easily accessible on your usual daily routine. With their growing popularity, small home units have been created where a courier can leave a package in the porch locker, which will lock itself until you arrive home and are able to retrieve your box.
Here are a few options (at numerous price ranges) if you are looking into purchasing a porch lockbox:
Ask a Neighbor For Help: If you are not ready to commit to the next level of security, ask your neighbors to watch out for strange activity around your home.
As online shopping reaches record highs, it is no surprise that pirates are expected to be out and about this holiday season. Evans Brothers recommends you take precautions and be careful leaving packages unattended.
Take the initiative today and contact info@evansbrothersconsulting.com or call 617-545-1500 to set up a short, no-cost, preliminary discussion.
No one knows Boston like the Evans Brothers.