SOUTH FLORIDA – Sunny South Florida offers some of the most beautiful sights, sounds, and businesses. It may have taken our area a bit longer to feel The Amazon Effect, but as more and more residents and visitors choose to shop online, the more you have to adapt your business model to fit their demands.
Over the past five years, reports show that restaurants that offer delivery saw a 20% jump in revenue and 10% increase in overall deliveries. As millennials dictate most shopping demands, businesses have to accommodate for the companies they buy from to simplify their lives through the convenience of online ordering and delivery.
Whether you own a Jamaican restaurant or a Carribean Boutique, you may want to consider local delivery options. While the change may seem intimidating, you can get help from others or try it out short term to see how it affects your sales.
How can you capitalize on the increased demand for delivery?
- Use an App-Based Service
When delivery is as easy the push of a button, why wouldn’t a customer choose to order online? Gone are the days when you call up the pizza company and read them your credit card number.
We can thank Amazon for the heightened demand for delivery, but we can also thank them for their app that can help you delivery food or goods to customers near you. Amazon’s Prime Now app is the top-ranked delivery app in Miami according to the Miami New Times. You can also check out GrubHub, UberEATS, Delivery Dudes, or DoorDash.
2. Hire a Delivery Driver
Today’s customers want their products, services, and meals quickly. One way you can ensure your customers return time and time again to your business is through your own delivery service.
Once you begin delivering, the increase you may see in sales could warrant the use of a full-time delivery driver. A dedicated delivery driver can help make sure your food or products are delivered safely and that customer service you pride yourself on extends to your customer’s doorstep.
3. Find a Partner
Aside from apps, there are companies that specialize in making delivers for other businesses. Outsourcing the delivery can save you time and money. They can also work well when you’re unsure if delivery is right for you. Deliver Dudes in Palm Beach is one of many options.
4. Rent a Fleet Vehicle
Many business owners are unaware of the fact that they don’t need to purchase a business vehicle in order to offer delivery. If you’re just beginning to offer delivery, you can rent vehicles , like a passenger van, and place vehicle magnets on its sides. This is a great option for the first four months to see how delivery will increase your sales before you commit to purchasing a vehicle.
5. Use a Bike Service for City Areas
If your business is in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, or one of the more densely populated areas we call “home,” you can use a bike for delivery. Customers love the novelty of bicycle delivery, and you will love the cost. Your delivery person will cash in on tips and love the cardio as they zip around City Place or Las Olas.
6. Get on Board with Group Ordering
Group Ordering sounded crazy to me when I first heard of it, but employees, businesses, families, and organizations love this delivery craze. How it works is one person from the group initiates the delivery by selecting a time and their restaurant choice, and all the other members receive an email. They open the link, choose a restaurant, then their meal, and place their order. All the meals arrive at the same time, labeled. It’s amazing!
7. Setup a Loyalty Program
One of the easiest ways to have your customers fall head over heels for your business is to offer them rewards. This encourages them to return to your business and to recommend it to their friends. You can offer unique reward items like a koozie to keep their beer cool on a humid South Florida night or tickets to a Panther’s game.
If you’ve been considering how much revenue delivery can drive to your business, now’s the time to find out. As travelers return to their upscale Caribbean accommodations after a long day at the beach or a group of college students sit down for a study session, they’ll want to pick up their phones and have your amazing food or products delivered to their doorsteps
