Top 8 challenges in Grocery delivery and 3 simple ways to overcome

It’s not known who delivered covid to us. But covid sure has delivered one thing – home deliveries of our daily grocery needs!

Post covid, close to one-third of grocery stores has started home delivery service. Based on our survey, 80% of the online grocery businesses have experienced a stupendous 178% growth in their daily home deliveries!

This bounty has come with its own burden. Their plenty has resulted in online grocery delivery challenges. The surge has resulted in its own surfeit of snags.

The sudden upsurge in orders is leaving grocery stores confused as they find it difficult to manage the orders and maintain home deliveries which is already an un-organized process. Lack of quality grocery management software with a delivery management system in modern retail is left with the age-old problem – how to deliver the goods, literally!

Many are left facing 8 common challenges while performing online grocery home deliveries.

1. When an online grocery delivery is unsuccessful and the store has to redeliver, the extra costincurred is as much as effecting three new home deliveries

2. An online grocery store spends an average of 522 hours every year just doing manual accounting and reporting.

3. An average grocery delivery consumes 8 – 12 follow up calls every day to monitor delivery status, thus, taxing the manager’s time and the delivery boy’s efficiency.

4. The most voiced complaint about failed grocery deliveries is the seven-word decree ‘No one is at home to receive

5. The delivery boy spends an average of 192 hours every year making manual entries, for which he is, at worst, ill-equipped and, at best, disinterested in doing.

6. To make matters worse, the delivery boy is required to make 8 unnecessary calls daily to identify and verify the address and to make status updates.

7. To add misery to the madness, the customer is compelled to make an average of 3 calls to know his delivery status and guide the delivery boy home.

  1. Despite going through all these troubles, oftentimes, the climax is tragic to the store; 41% of dissatisfied customers, even the ones who face just one late delivery, stop shopping at the store.

Sadly, while there are challenges, gladly, there are solutions. Gofrugal shows you, in three simple ways, the manner to manage your online grocery deliveries on your own – at low costs, increased efficiency and happy endings.

1. Let customers schedule their delivery slot on your app

With your online grocery app, you can deliver within a matter of hours which e-commerce apps take days to do. To perform convenient and successful online grocery deliveries, display delivery slots in your online ordering app and let customers book the slot. Letting consumers select their own delivery windows, increases the success of first-time delivery and eliminates the seven-word dreaded decree identified earlier.

You can also limit the number of orders per slot, resulting in streamlined operations, improved productivity and enhanced customer experience. Resulting in happy customers and happier shopping!

An online grocery store chain in Delhi, Vitasta farms, have offered this convenient mode of scheduling deliveries to their consumers on their grocery app. They have reduced the cost of order processing, streamlined the delivery process and improved customer satisfaction.

2. Upgrade omnichannel experience by adding a pick-up option

The store pick-up option is a success secret most stores fail to spot and start. Handling a high volume of orders is tough, especially when you are short of delivery staff. Deliveries get fraught with danger. With your own ordering app, you can offer a pick-up facility to customers who then can choose to pick up their order at your store.

A wholesale confectionery dealer in Andhra Pradesh, Jai Jalaram traders have managed the high volume of orders with pick-up facility and now enjoys 50% more productivity and happy customers who have liked this convenient mode of ordering.

Pro-tip: You can use the push notification feature in your OrderEasy app to let consumers know that your store is open for pick-up service.

3. Manage delivery logistics with a delivery management app

With your own delivery management system – GoDeliver – you can streamline your delivery process thanks to fail-proof automation and fail-proof deliveries. Resulting in satisfied customers and surging orders!

All in all, GoDeliver delivers…

1.50% increase in efficiency by automating outdated processes like manual entries in the delivery book, assigning deliveries, follow-ups, accounting and reporting etc.

2.30% faster deliveries with optimum route navigation and delivery slot features.

3.0 follow-ups for customers as they get real-time notifications on delivery status.

4.100% fool-proof system that offers complete control on cash flows and returns.

5.70% savings on money, time, efforts and labour resources.

Another grocery store, Kanchi supermarket have found the technology very simple and easy to learn and use. Their online grocery deliveries doubled and they were able to manage them without adding new employees for delivery. Their productivity increased as the number of calls to follow up on order and delivery reduced by 70%

Hundreds of grocery businesses have found OrderEasy and GoDeliver apps easy to learn, easier to use and easiest to eliminate all their online grocery delivery challenges and have converted the problematic pandemic into countless possibilities.

It’s now your turn to earn!