If your local business sells a physical product, it must offer delivery. Offering excellent delivery options is one of the smartest investments your company can do. And with so many delivery startups and tech solutions on the market, it can be an effortless investment, too.
Need some convincing? Consider the following reasons for embracing delivery.
Consumers Value Convenience
A young professional pops into your shop for some last minute shopping during their lunch break for an upcoming wedding, holiday, or birthday party. Within minutes, they find at least five promising items in your store. But these items are bulky and they don’t really want to carry them back to the office and then onto the tube home. So they say they’ll come back when instead they’ll just buy everything on Amazon.
By offering delivery, you can make the sale now and promise to have the items shipped to the shopper’s front door.
It Differentiates You From The Competition
Retailers who offer an excellent customer experience stand head and shoulders above the competition. A great customer experience goes beyond customer service. It’s an aggregation of a consumer’s total experiences with your brand from email marketing to online browsing to in-store experience to purchase. One of the ways brands improve the customer experience is by meeting customer needs and offering helpful delivery options.
Excellent delivery service improves the customer experience by offering convenience, building trust (through timely deliveries), and extending the brand experience beyond the store when the customer receives the package. It also keeps your business in the consumer’s conscience. This is particularly true for restaurants. Instead of only thinking of your restaurant for eating out, customers begin to think of it as a convenient option when eating in because the delivery option is available.
Local Delivery Has an Edge Over Larger E-Commerce Companies
Local retailers can offer the same-day delivery options that larger retailers struggle with. Your store is your warehouse and hub, allowing you to offer point-to-point local delivery. If someone makes an order and pays for same-day delivery, you are geographically capable of fulfilling that order either through a local courier service or a third-party service that lets you tap into a pool of available courier freelancers.
And here’s the best part: People are willing to pay for this service. A McKinsey survey conducted in Germany, Sweden, France, and the UK found that 50 percent of respondents would be willing to pay EUR 6 to 7 for same-day delivery on a EUR 59 purchase.
Opens You Up To a New World of Customers
If you set up an e-commerce store to complement your delivery offering, you’re opening your business to a whole new group of customers. People who may not have otherwise come across your brick-and-mortar presence may stumble upon your online presence and like what they see.
Another dimension is the rising interest in supporting local business. You can piggyback on these sentiments by making it easier for people to shop locally with same- or next-day delivery.
You Reach Customers Who Work During Your Business Hours
Imagine all the customers who love your products, but never have time to visit your store. Offering delivery means that someone who’s already a fan of your goods - but never has the time to casually shop at your store - can continue to shop your products by ordering online and having them delivered.
Offering delivery presents a number of benefits for your business. Several startups are making it exceptionally easy for small retailers to offer delivery to their customers. Use them to your advantage, so your business can thrive.