Best Buy offers live delivery tracking for large items
Best Buy Co. has added a new feature that lets customers track the delivery and installation of large products such as big screen TVs, refrigerators, washers and dryers.
The consumer electronics giant’s new live tracking feature leverages AI solutions to provide customers with to-the-minute tracking details on the progress of their order on the day of delivery and/or installation. It includes a real-time map view of where their driver is along their route.
Best Buy is also using data like predicted demand and real-time traffic patterns in an effort to reduce delivery lead times, optimize routes and ultimately provide customers with live estimated time of arrivals down to the minute.
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How the tracking feature works
- A customer orders a large item like a big screen TV, refrigerator, or dishwasher from Best Buy and scheduled a day for it to be delivered.
- On the morning of the delivery, Best Buy will send an email or text reminder, letting them know their item will arrive within a four-hour window later that day. The message will provide relevant details for your delivery appointment, such as when a driver has been assigned, steps to prepare for delivery, and a “Track our Progress” button that takes the customer to a live delivery tracking map.
- As soon as the driver starts their route, Best Buy will provide a live estimated time of arrival based on how many other orders the driver is making that day, as well as the general location of where the driver is along their route within the live map. Customers will be notified if the ETA changes.
- When the customer’s house is next on the delivery route, the real-time tracking map will zoom in to street view and show more specific details on the location of the driver, the route they’re taking, and a live ETA down to the minute. Right before the driver arrives, Best Buy will send a notification to make sure the customer is ready to receive the order.
This new feature aligns with Best Buy’s new partnership with Google Cloud and Accenture to use generative AI for personalized customer support at scale via tools such as a generative AI-based virtual assistant.
"Our new live-delivery tracking experience removes the frustration so many of us have felt when we’re given a window of time to wait around at home for an appointment or a larger delivery to arrive," said Brian Tilzer, chief data, analytics and technology officer at Best Buy. "We know our customers’ time is extremely valuable, and we’re proud to bring a level of convenience to technology delivery and installation that nobody is currently providing."
Based in Minneapolis, Best Buy Co. Inc. operates more than 1,000 retail stores in North America.
