By Guest Blogger Kathy Sides, President,  Loxx Boxx Inc. loxxboxx.com

While we are all sheltering in place to battle COVID-19, it is likely we are all trying different services and home delivery has become an essential part of our daily lives. Food and grocery deliveries have ballooned as we are all looking for ways to stay safe while providing for our families. Many had already started shopping on-line, but this crisis has forced us to do even more and now most retailers are closing under “stay at home” orders.

One of the biggest challenges with receiving so many packages at home is preventing theft or damage. Before this crisis began, the average household spent close to $2,000 per year on on-line purchases. Evidence suggests that the numbers are growing during this crisis. Given the large amount of spending on-line, it’s no wonder that package theft has continued to increase. In 2019, 1 in 5 packages were lost or stolen representing over $25 million per day in losses.

Maybe you have not yet been a target of a “porch pirate,” but chances are you know someone who has had it happen to them. When this happened to me, I knew there needed to be a better way to make sure that our packages were safe. I needed to be able to protect my packages without having to wait at home for the delivery. I needed to be able to receive multiple packages in the same day from different carriers. I needed to be able to keep track of all of the delivery activity – in case something went missing. I needed to keep curious eyes from scouting for gifts or surprises. I needed notification if anyone tried steal from me. I needed a secure location on my porch or near my garage. I needed it to work remotely, as a mother of three I’m always on the go and information about my shipments and deliveries needed to be in one place, so access from my phone was essential. I wanted to be able to keep perishables fresh on the days when I planned my grocery or food deliveries.  Now, I see Loxx Boxx as a safe separation between carriers and my family.

Since nothing like this existed on the market, I decided to build it. Sure, there are doorbell cameras but they do not actually stop thieves from taking the packages. Some companies want to use digital locks on the door so they can come into my home. Even though the drivers are supposed to wear cameras, I’m not comfortable with strangers in my home. I know many of these services vet their drivers, but it feels invasive to have others in my home when I’m not there.

Over the last three years, we founded and developed, Loxx Boxx, a Triad based company. We have developed a steel box (that was the easy part) and a proprietary app that addresses all of the needs above to provide peace of mind around home deliveries, without having to let strangers into our homes. We decided to sell the boxes directly to homeowners to keep the retail price down. We also have decided to offer a cost effective monthly subscription (at less than $.35 cents per day) for those households who are on a tight budget.

As we have started to launch the product in the last several weeks in the Triad, we have added an “affiliate program,” to help displaced workers that have been impacted by work restrictions and shelter in place ordinances. We’re offering online training about our product and the opportunity to earn commission on all sales generated. Our aim is to offer additional income for individuals in our community as we spread the word about Loxx Boxx.

So as I’m understanding online learning for my children, frantically turning off the video camera during my Pilates class on Zoom, and constantly reminding my kids to wash their hands; I am working hard to protect my family. We look forward to extending that protection to our community.

Sponsored by loxxboxx.com.