Coupang Eats is developing technology that automatically recognizes apartment unit numbers and items shown in "delivery completed" photos and cross-checks them against a courier's location data and order details to detect misdeliveries. The aim is to expand the role of these photos beyond simple proof of delivery into a tool for verifying delivery accuracy.
Coupang Eats is developing and moving toward commercializing technology that uses delivery completion photos and courier location data to automatically determine whether a misdelivery has occurred, according to reporting by The Seoul Economic Daily on the 12th.
Couriers' GPS location data has already been used alongside delivery completion photos, but it has had limits in pinpointing exact locations in multi-unit buildings such as apartment complexes and officetels — studio units used as either homes or offices. As a result, delivery completion photos have mainly served as proof shots notifying customers that an item has been left at their door, while couriers have had to visually compare addresses, photos and order details one by one.
That verification will now be automated. An image recognition module will automatically extract building unit numbers and item details from delivery completion photos and cross-check them against order information and the courier's location data. The company expects this to allow more precise confirmation of whether an item was delivered to the correct address.
For example, if a courier leaves an item at Unit 1001 of Building 101 in an apartment complex and takes a delivery completion photo, the image recognition module identifies "1001" in the photo and compares it with the delivery address on the order. Combined with the courier's GPS data, the system then checks whether the actual delivery location matches the order address.
The company also plans to add a feature to prevent misdeliveries while the photo is being taken. Delivery instructions entered by the customer at the time of ordering will be displayed in the center of the courier's camera screen, allowing a final check just before the photo is taken. If a customer enters requests such as "Do not ring the doorbell" or "Hang it on the door handle instead of leaving it on the floor," the instructions are sent to the courier's device and shown on the camera screen. The company expects this to reduce cases in which couriers overlook customer requests or leave items in the wrong place.
The push is seen as an effort to reduce disputes over misdeliveries and over items that go missing or are stolen after delivery, as contactless delivery becomes standard. With contactless delivery, it can be difficult to determine whether a missing item was delivered to the wrong place from the start or was lost or stolen after a normal delivery. Typical cases include customers who obtain a refund by citing a misdelivery and then retrieve and eat the food, or neighbors who take delivered meals. Coupang Eats believes the cross-verification of completed deliveries will also make it easier to pin down responsibility in such cases.
Coupang, however, said it has not decided whether the technology will actually be deployed or when it might be commercialized.
