Most retail businesses have seen increased customer demand for delivery options since the coronavirus pandemic began. Eat-in spots had no choice but to switch gears entirely during lockdown so that quarantined consumers could order takeout for delivery to their homes. Without a doubt, one of the major impacts of the pandemic has been that consumers now expect retailers to deliver to their homes. Not just to deliver by mail like e-commerce has always been, but in many retail industries, on-demand local delivery is the new normal.
What’s Local Delivery?
Local delivery is a concept first made popular by Amazon with its next-day Prime delivery service. In this model, local vans deliver orders to residents in their area so that customers get their purchases sooner. Delivery apps like DoorDash, Postmates, Instacart, and Shipt provide same-day delivery in a similar way.
Why Local Delivery Is Better
When you know that a third party is handling your local delivery logistics, you can put more time and money into growing your business. Here’s why you should provide a local delivery option to your customers.
1. You Save Money
As an online business owner, you can benefit from outsourcing your deliveries to a local on-demand delivery service. Mail not only takes a lot longer, but it also costs you. When you outsource to a local business delivery service, the customer pays the delivery fee.
2. Simplifies Logistics
When there’s a mishap, it requires more resources on your part. Logistics require personnel, vehicles, storage space for those vehicles, and much more. You can cut overhead costs in a huge way simply by outsourcing local deliveries to an app service.
3. Customers Love It
Local delivery is speedy and puts an emphasis on customer care, with a driver responsible for hand delivering the contents of purchased orders. Gen Z and Millennial customers, in particular, love the ease of getting on a third-party app to track orders that have a delivery person accountable for each.
How Local Delivery Can Help Your Online Business
The world of online business evolves rapidly. Staying competitive today depends on providing customers the latest conveniences they’re looking for. The good news is that local delivery for small business has become a solution powered by technology and delivery tracking expertise.
Consider this: The delivery of e-commerce goods originally took five or more days. Advances in mobile technology have enabled e-commerce stores to leverage local courier services and give customers their purchases sooner than ever. Here’s what you can expect to gain from adding a local delivery option to your online business.
Boost Online Sales
When customers are buying items online from a small business owner without a well-known brand, many have instinctive reservations. On an online marketplace like Facebook Marketplace or a listing site such as Craigslist, buyers who take greater precautions give the sale to a seller who has partnered with a trusted third-party app to handle the delivery and transaction.
The appeal of same-day or next-day delivery with a local delivery app can also push a customer over the edge when making a purchase decision at your online store. These combined benefits are sure to increase your online sales.
Boost Customer Satisfaction
Customers love having options, so the more delivery options you provide, the happier they’ll be.
Given the importance of customer satisfaction in getting positive online reviews and maintaining a reputable brand image, partnering with a local courier service is a huge boon. It gives your customers the human touch you can’t provide as an online business. It’s a way around the shipping issues and delays that can occur with postal services.
Delivery apps are powered by specialists in making the delivery process transparent to customers, so why not let your buyers reap the benefits of their technology?
Build Resilience for the Future
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have recently undergone a 180 shift to an e-commerce model. If you were an online business before the pandemic, you might have noticed online customers now have more options than ever and there’s more competition in the e-commerce space. Given the current public health situation and an unpredictable economic climate, businesses that continue preparing for the future will see better resilience in the coming years.
Setting up a local delivery option allows you to stay agile in any economic atmosphere. While your delivery partner takes care of customers, you can focus on adapting and shifting your business, even in a global crisis.
How to Outsource Your Logistics to a Local Delivery Service
Setting up a local delivery option is much easier than setting up in-house logistics. Here’s the gist of what you’ll need to do.
Assess Your Local Delivery Needs
Before you partner up, determine the scope of delivery services you’ll need. What’s the radius in your local area you want to extend to customers interested in on-demand delivery? Facebook Marketplace allows a radius of up to 500 miles, and expanding your radius could potentially mean more customers.
Choose a Local Delivery Service Provider
Shop around for the right provider and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Some might offer quotes or projected costs based on your business’s needs. Check out the features of the provider’s consumer technology. See if the couriers can handle returns by picking them up from customers’ homes, since the option for returns is another competitive edge you’ll want to have.
Educate Your Customers
Make sure your customers are aware of the benefits they get with the local delivery option. It can be a major factor in their purchasing decisions, so it’s important to include information about their local delivery option from the get-go. Include a video or some pictures with text on your online store pointing out the option for third-party app delivery.
Besides saving you a ton on overhead costs, local delivery services boost sales, too. With lower labor costs, you can grow your business faster. Meanwhile, your customers enjoy better satisfaction. Third-party delivery with mobile app tracking is considered the most convenient form of delivery service, as it carries the experience in the field along with the best technology for transparency.
