Curbside Delivery: What It Is and How To Leverage It for Your Business
Curbside delivery, originally referring to dropping off large items at customers' homes, has evolved post-pandemic into a popular, contactless service where customers pick up pre-packaged orders at designated locations and have them loaded into their vehicles, offering businesses a flexible, convenient delivery option that enhances customer satisfaction and can boost revenue.
There is so much competition across all industries in the market today. With the entry barrier to start a new business continuously getting lower, business owners must provide a compelling offer to win over customers. This includes offering promotions, an easy-to-use buying process, and most importantly, flexible delivery solutions.
Businesses that evolve with consumer shopping habits will be the ones that stay ahead. Customers are constantly looking for new and flexible delivery offerings, and one of the most popular delivery solutions for consumers today is curbside delivery.
In this article, we’ll take a look at what curbside delivery is and how you can increase your business revenue by adding this as an option for your customers.
What is curbside delivery?
The meaning of curbside delivery has changed over the years. Initially, curbside delivery was the act of delivering items to consumers’ houses and dropping them off in front of the house, typically on the sidewalk or curb. This is often used for large items like appliances, furniture, exercise equipment, and other products that require a lift to get them out of the truck.
For many large items, curbside delivery is essential to get the product to the customers’ homes. But since the pandemic, the idea of curbside delivery has evolved into the pre-packaging and fulfillment of one’s order at a set time for delivery to the consumer in a contactless way.
Curbside delivery could involve the customer showing up at a pick-up location (like the store or a fulfillment center) to get the order placed inside their vehicle, often near a curb. The customer waits inside their vehicle while their products are placed in the backseat or trunk of their car. This form of delivery has recently become popular, with over 61.9% of millennials using a form of curbside delivery in 2022.
Curbside delivery promotes effortless shopping, limited contact between team members and customers, online payment processing, and loyal customers. Businesses of all types, including retailers, grocery stores, restaurants, and enterprise companies, have adopted a curbside delivery option to answer consumer needs. However, proper supply chain and infrastructure upgrades are often needed to accomplish this. It takes an investment from the leadership team to make curbside delivery possible.
Why do customers want curbside delivery?
One of the worst business decisions operators make is implementing a costly new function or feature they think their customers will want without any research. Before you invest in a curbside delivery offering, how do we know customers really want it? Well, the proof is in the numbers.
Consumers in the US will spend an estimated $154.3 billion on goods that were picked up through a curbside delivery option by 2025. That’s a sizable amount, but it’s not all that surprising considering the benefits it offers.
Curbside delivery is beneficial and popular with customers because of its:
- Flexibility: The customer is in control of the delivery process.
- Transparency: The customer knows how and when the delivery will be ready.
- Convenience: The customer doesn’t have to get out of their car.
- Security: The customer doesn’t have to worry about someone else getting their order.
These four value propositions revolutionize the delivery experience and how customers interact with a company. With more companies offering this option, offering curbside delivery can help you attract more customers.
How curbside delivery works
Curbside delivery has now evolved into the business delivering goods to the customer outside the storefront while they wait in their car.
If the customer is hoping to participate in a curbside delivery at the store or fulfillment site, typically the process works like this:
- 1.The customer places an order online, either on the store’s website or within the company’s mobile app.
- 2.Before completing the transaction, the customer is presented with multiple options, including standard shipping or “Pick Up On-Site” (curbside delivery).
- 3.The customer selects the curbside delivery option and continues the checkout process. They may need to select from a list of available curbside delivery windows (specific times to arrive on-site).
- 4.The customer receives confirmation and is ready to drive on-site to pick up their order. There may be specific parking spots designated for curbside delivery orders.
- 5.The customer notifies the store via text or app that they have arrived, and an employee brings their order out without requiring them to leave their vehicle.
Curbside delivery gives customers greater flexibility and control over when their products can be delivered.
Challenges with curbside delivery
Curbside delivery requires an upgrade in your technology as well as a reallocation of your employees and their job functions. A few main challenges include minimizing customer wait times, having enough available curbside delivery windows, and properly allocating your resources. Overcoming these can be a balancing act that requires careful evaluation and optimization.
The business case for curbside delivery
Curbside delivery is a compelling offering because of its value for both customers and businesses. There are many benefits for businesses looking to introduce curbside delivery functionality:
- Enhancing the customer experience: More customers are asking for curbside delivery and will be delighted when you offer it. Businesses should always strive to give customers an enhanced buying and delivery experience from start to finish.
- Optimizing your delivery process: Managing each shipment and delivering it to every customer’s individual location is a tedious process. Curbside delivery helps businesses to overcome the last mile delivery problem. With curbside delivery, the customers come to you, allowing you to fulfill multiple orders at one time and reduce the amount of ground, time, and resources spent.
- Saving time and money from delivering to customers’ doors: The fleet of vehicles and employees that drive them can be reallocated to other areas. Instead of many delivery workers driving around the city, they can work on-site to prepare the order and provide it to the customers, saving money on fuel, wages, trucks, and more.
- Increasing in-store revenue: The curbside delivery ordering process makes it easier for customers to purchase their orders online. Customers may be encouraged to add items to their cart due to the ease of your website or app’s functionality. Curbside delivery makes it easy for customers to manage and maintain hefty orders of increasing value.
In addition, curbside delivery technology can help you create additional value propositions for your customers, such as post-purchase experiences and exclusive discounts.
Delivery Solutions’ curbside delivery offering
Delivery Solutions offers proprietary technology with numerous curbside delivery functions, including:
- Customizable ordering: Customers can select specific pickup times and locations.
- Real-time updates: Customers receive real-time updates about the status of their order.
- Flexible pickup adjustments: Customers can delay their pickup times by text or chat.
- Easy identification: Orders are linked to the customer’s car characteristics for identification.
- Friendly support: Businesses and customers can enjoy friendly support as needed.
For businesses, the interface provides:
- Reduced wait times: Easily retrieve and access customers’ orders in real time.
- Geofencing technology: Know when your customers arrive and enable geofences to distinguish pickup areas.
- Auto tracking: Track the order as it moves through the fulfillment process.
- Automatic alerts: Receive ETA alerts to get an order ready.
- Enhanced communication: Communicate with customers via two-way text and chat.
By incorporating curbside delivery technology into your operations, you will enhance your flexible delivery offering while delighting customers and improving your operations.
Conclusion
Curbside delivery can transform your relationship with your customers while saving you money and improving your bottom line. Elevate your omnichannel delivery strategy with unique curbside delivery functionality.
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