Comcast is touting its Xfinity Home indoor/outdoor security camera as one solution to the growing problem of package theft.
In the wake of Cyber Monday, Comcast has released the findings of a new package-theft survey as millions of Americans brace for a surge in home deliveries between now and the new year.
According to findings from a new Wakefield Research poll for Comcast, three in 10 Americans who live in houses or townhomes have been victims of package theft, and 53 percent of Americans know someone who has had a package stolen from outside their home.
As e-commerce retailers look to novel delivery approaches like in-home deliveries, Comcast suggested remote security technology is even more relevant. According to the survey, nearly a third (32 percent) of Americans who live in houses or townhomes would allow packages to be delivered inside their homes if they had a live-streaming home security camera and/or smart door locks to remotely lock and unlock their doors. Millennials are especially open to that idea, with nearly half (47 percent) reporting they would allow in-home delivery, compared to just 17 percent of Baby Boomers.
According to the survey, 71 percent of Americans plan to have as many or more packages delivered to their homes for the holidays this year as they did last year, with 35 percent expecting an increase in the number of packages.
“There is no silver-bullet solution for the package-theft problem,” said Daniel Herscovici, senior VP and general manager of
. “Comcast’s Xfinity Home’s smart-home security cameras may serve as a deterrent to would-be thieves. The data we’re seeing bears that out, with 85 percent of Americans saying a home-security camera would be effective in stopping package theft this holiday season. A whopping 90 percent of Americans who have actually been the victim of package theft are confident in the effectiveness of home security cameras.”
In response, Comcast recently introduced a new feature into its Xfinity Home 24/7 video-recording service that makes it much easier for customers to pinpoint the moment when their home cameras capture movement. Using an artificial-intelligence-powered (AI) computer vision algorithm developed by Comcast engineers, the system focuses in on the movement, centers it, and zooms in to deliver an image of it to customers that is clear and captures the activity.
