Working to alleviate hard-working Americans increasingly find their packages missing from their front steps, the shipping heavyweight, UPS, is turning to cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) to combat these “porch pirates” and ensure that consumers receive their hard-earned purchases.
UPS is leveraging a pioneering program named DeliveryDefense, a creation of UPS Capital. This initiative employs AI and machine learning to evaluate delivery risks, deriving insights from two years of UPS delivery data, historical patterns of theft, and specific address features.
Essentially this is a score for retailers, guiding them to suggest the safest delivery methods for the packages to reach their rightful recipients.
Mark Robinson, president of UPS Capital, remarked to FOX Business, “By proactively identifying and addressing potential shipping issues, DeliveryDefense data augments the assurance of a triumphant delivery.”
He further stated that “Retailers can then suggest alternative delivery avenues, such as UPS Store locations or other strategic Access Points, to enhance the likelihood of successful deliveries.”
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The growing menace of package theft has been casting shadows over consumers’ trust. A survey by Security.org has revealed that an alarming 49 million Americans faced the misfortune of having at least one package stolen over the span of the previous 12 months as of 2022.
These thefts weren’t just minor inconveniences; the median value of stolen items stood at $50. When one does the math, it’s evident that package thefts stripped hard-working Americans of a whopping $2.4 billion worth of merchandise just last year.
To address this, DeliveryDefense employs the massive troves of UPS’s historical delivery records, ultimately computing a “Delivery Confidence Score” ranging from 1 to 1,000 – a metric that provides a clear indication of the package’s chances of a successful delivery.
Should an address receive a low confidence score, it’s a signal for retailers. They can then advise customers to opt for in-store pickups or direct their packages to a UPS Access Point, found in either designated retail stores or UPS Stores.
The accessibility of this tool isn’t limited by the size of a business. From the largest corporations to the mom-and-pop stores, everyone can integrate this tool into their order fulfillment systems through an API. For those smaller businesses or individual users, a web-based variant of the tool is available.
For those who like to keep a keen eye on their shipments, the UPS My Choice program offers timely text or email alerts. This program also grants consumers the flexibility to dictate specific delivery instructions, whether that means directing packages to a colleague’s office, a trusted neighbor’s home, or even a local UPS Access Point.
This consumer-centric program has already gained traction among over 100 million consumers.
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