Have you ever wished you could track a delivery and know when it is less than 15 minutes from your door? UK delivery company Interlink Express/DPD will begin offering that exact service from August 5th, and some of the UK's biggest online retailers are ready to take advantage of it. From next month, Amazon UK will begin using DPD's new 'Follow My Parcel' service to help customers track next-day (including Prime) deliveries in real time and let them know exactly how far away their package is.

Traditionally, the courier has updated customers via SMS, assigning them a one-hour delivery slot. The company will continue to send the same alerts but will now include a link to a detailed online map, viewable on both desktop and mobile devices. Amazon has used DPD to deliver a large percentage of its next-day orders, and online fashion giant ASOS will also offer customers the chance to watch their home delivery. While courier companies have slowly embraced mobile, the majority have yet to offer consumers a simple real-time tracking service like Follow My Parcel. Hopefully other delivery companies will be prompted to roll out similar services in the near future.