Your next FedEx shipment could come with photographic evidence.
The Memphis-based company said its new Picture Proof feature will include an image of where a package was left if a signature was not required.
"This is something e-commerce merchants and customers have been asking for, and we are proud to be the first to announce this service will be available to residential customers," FedEx Chief Customer Officer Brie Carere said in a statement.
"Receiving visual confirmation that the package has arrived gives peace of mind to both merchants and consumers, and we are thrilled to give them that confidence," Carere added.
The free service will roll out to select markets before offering it across the US and Canada ahead of the holiday season. Images will be attached to a parcel's tracking info page, and will not require recipients to a sign-up for a program.
FedEx is particularly marketing the service to its small business clients, who often bear the cost when a package goes missing. Merchants will be able to get photo proof for many shipments in their tracking dashboard, the company said.
The new service also complements other features from FedEx, especially the Delivery Manager, which allows customers to specify where they would like a package left. Now, photos will show whether that happened.
The rise of ecommerce during the pandemic saw a commensurate rise in package theft, according to data from market research firm C+R. The percentage of people who had a package stolen climbed from 36% in 2019 to 43% in 2020. One third of survey respondents said delivery companies weren't doing enough to prevent package theft.
