PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history, Comcast today released the findings of a new package theft survey and announced new security features for its Xfinity Home indoor/outdoor camera as millions of Americans brace for a surge in home deliveries between now and December 25.
According to findings from a new Wakefield Research poll for Comcast, three in ten Americans who live in houses or townhomes have been victims of package theft. And 53 percent of Americans know someone who has had a package stolen from outside their home.
Comcast also recently introduced a new feature into its Xfinity Home 24/7 video recording service that makes it much easier for customers to pinpoint the moment when their home cameras capture movement. Using an artificial-intelligence-powered (AI) computer vision algorithm developed by Comcast engineers, the system focuses in on the movement, centers it, and zooms in to deliver an image of it to customers that is clear and captures the activity.
This year, Cyber Monday set an online record with retailers ringing up $6.59 billion in sales making it the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. According to the survey, 71 percent of Americans plan to have as many or more packages delivered to their homes for the holidays this year as they did last year, with 35 percent expecting an increase in the number of packages.
“There is no silver bullet solution for the package theft problem,” said Daniel Herscovici, SVP and GM of Xfinity Home. “Comcast’s Xfinity Home’s smart home security cameras may serve as a deterrent to would-be thieves. The data we’re seeing bears that out, with 85 percent of Americans saying a home security camera would be effective in stopping package theft this holiday season. A whopping 90 percent of Americans who have actually been the victim of package theft are confident in the effectiveness of home security cameras.”
Sridhar Solur, Senior Vice President of Product Development for Xfinity Home added, “We use artificial intelligence to make sure our customers get the most out of their home cameras. Our new AI-powered platform identifies when the camera records movement, centers the image, and delivers a crystal-clear thumbnail image to customers so they can always know what’s happening with just a glance at our app.”
As e-commerce retailers look to novel delivery approaches like in-home deliveries, remote security technology is even more relevant. According to the survey, nearly a third (32 percent) of Americans who live in houses or townhomes would allow packages to be delivered inside their homes if they had a live streaming home security camera and/or smart door locks to remotely lock and unlock their doors. Millennials are especially open to that idea, with nearly half (47 percent) reporting they would allow in-home delivery, compared to just 17 percent of Baby Boomers.
About Xfinity Home
Xfinity Home is the total home security and automation solution from Comcast. This total home security service includes 24/7 professional monitoring, as well as battery and cellular backup, remote arming and disarming, real-time text and email alerts, 24/7 video recording, live video monitoring, lighting and thermostat control, and smoke and water leak detection. Through the Works with Xfinity partner program, Xfinity Home seamlessly integrates best-in-class smart home devices into its platform. Whether at home or on the go, customers can manage many devices and stay connected to their homes via the mobile app, online portal, in-home Touchscreen Controller, or on their TV with the Xfinity X1 platform to ensure peace of mind. For more information, go to www.xfinity.com/home-security.
About Comcast
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation’s largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the XFINITY brand. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
Methodology
The Xfinity Home from Comcast Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 U.S. adults, ages 18+, who live in a house or townhome, between November 15 and November 16, 2017, using an email invitation and an online survey. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
