Research: Package Theft Report

Package theft is plaguing today’s consumers; nearly 11 million U.S. homeowners have had a package stolen within the past year. August Home Inc, the leading provider of smart locks and smart home access products and services that make life more simple and secure, today released the results of a new study, Package Theft Report: Outsmarting Criminals at Your Front Door. The study provides new insights into the rise in package theft and the steps consumers are willing to take to ensure their packages are received safely and securely including allowing delivery services to place packages directly inside their home. U.S. homeowners receive an average of 27 packages each year, 26% receive deliveries at least once a week, which creates a real worry that packages left on the doorstep will be stolen (53%). This becomes a greater worry for those who have been victims of package theft (74%) and increases to 81% during the holidays. The majority of packages are stolen during the day when homeowners are out (74%) and theft victims spend close to $200 replace each stolen package. Sixty-nine percent of package theft victims shared that they would rather let a delivery person into their home via an app from wherever they are, rather than being forced to have a package left outside. And 28% commented that it would be ideal if delivery services could leave packages directly inside their home. “Package theft is increasing exponentially. And this doesn’t just affect consumers’ wallets as they replace stolen goods, it’s also a threat to them feeling safe and secure at home,” said Jason Johnson, CEO of August Home. “With the average value of packages stolen costing $200 or more to replace, 80% of homeowners mentioned that they would rather invest in smart technology, such as our Doorbell Cam, which would eliminate this worry once and for all, rather than continue to spend money replacing stolen goods.” Online Shopping Increases Threat of Package Theft During the Holidays The rise of online shopping has significantly increased the prevalence of home deliveries. Seventy percent of U.S. homeowners expect to receive packages during the holiday season with 61% receiving more packages than they would at any other time of year making them an even bigger target for package theft (81%). Victims noted that they were forced to stay home when expecting deliveries (49%) or leave work early to meet the delivery person (20%) to prevent theft. This rise in package theft leaves victims feeling angry (76%), frustrated (60%) and vulnerable (35%). These feelings are further complicated during the holiday season when package theft victims are busier than usual and may not have time to replace stolen gifts (46%). Smart Home Technology Primed to Mitigate Theft Smart home technology could significantly reduce package theft. More than 1 in 4 homeowners that experienced package theft say it would be ideal if delivery personnel could leave packages directly inside their homes. And, consumer comfort with in-home delivery when they can’t be home increases dramatically with the ability to use the core features of smart locks and doorbell cameras (81% homeowners; 94% package theft victims). Eighty-six percent mention the value of smart locks as allowing packages to be left in the home without leaving the door unlocked and 92% agree that doorbell cameras provide peace of mind with the ability to see anyone at the door, from anywhere. Consumers also positively cite being able to see the delivery person inside their home (50% homeowners; 70% package theft victims), watch the delivery person enter and exit their home (49% homeowners; 67% package theft victims), speak to the delivery person as they enter and exit the home (47% homeowners; 67% package theft victims) and remotely lock the door behind the delivery person when they leave (47% homeowners; 67% package theft victims). Further, in the case of foul play, consumers took comfort knowing that smart home technology could be used to identify package thieves and give information to authorities (35% of homeowners; 45% package theft victims). About the Package Theft Report: Outsmarting Criminals at Your Front Door The data referenced in this report comes from a study commissioned by August Home and produced by research firm Edelman Intelligence. The study was conducted online among a total of 1,001 U.S. homeowners, ages 18-74, who own or use smartphones. The data set is demographically balanced to accurately represent the US home-owning population rather than the US population in general. The margin of error for the total sample is ±3.1%. Data was collected from September 2 – September 12, 2016. For more information on the research results, see the infographic and research highlights.