How retailers can optimize delivery to transform their business

By Debbie Miranda Ghosh, Senior Manager, Operations

August 22, 2023  |  3 Min. Read  |  Insights

Unprecedented consumer demand for quick and reliable local delivery continues to grow. According to a recent survey, the leading aspect shoppers worldwide would change about their online shopping experience is creating a faster delivery option. Prior to 2020, delivery had already made considerable societal headway, specifically in the food industry. Expansion to other service and goods categories was led by e-commerce and retail giants. Offering delivery may have seemed like a trend 6 years ago, but it was evident that delivery demand was here to stay.

Retailers quickly realized that they needed to reconsider how they offered their products to satisfy customer preferences. That ultimately meant taking a deeper look at local delivery and how to build and scale those capabilities to best serve their customers. Despite the surge in the number of retailers offering delivery, 61% of online retailers find they are delivery inefficient. Retailers can transform their business and stand out from the rest with a foolproof delivery process. Below are a few topics for retailers to keep in mind as they further scale their delivery proficiency.

• Optimize and promote e-commerce capabilities: Evaluate how you are promoting your products and local delivery offering on your website and online channels and compare with industry-leading peers. Retailers can leverage social media and marketing to drive consumer awareness of their delivery offerings. Use social media to promote your delivery services, showcase your products, and highlight time-sensitive deals or offers. Encourage customers to choose various delivery options by providing discounts or loyalty rewards for using expedited services.
  
  
• Invest in technological solutions: Lean on your third-party provider's technical solutions and work with them to identify the right solutions for your business. Most delivery service providers (DSPs) are continuously striving to innovate based on their clients’ needs to stay ahead of the competition and remain nimble. DSPs can provide turnkey technological solutions to help your business jump-start your delivery offering with little friction in store operations.
  
  
• Consider delivery promise and customer expectations: Speed does not necessarily mean a 30-minute delivery window. Retailers benefit from identifying the right delivery promise for their customers, such as a same-day, scheduled delivery daily or weekly. Retailers can drive a more customer-centric approach by offering various delivery options to meet customer demands. Remaining customer-centric is key to meeting evolving consumer expectations.
  
  
• Streamlined packaging and driver dispatching: Streamlining packaging and driver dispatching can help reduce costs and keep items more secure from being left behind in the vehicle or stolen. Introducing an efficient process for driver pick-ups will help minimize driver footprint in the store and reduce bottlenecks at in-store checkout lines. Shorter lines improve both the customer and the driver's experience and lead to increased satisfaction for both. Streamlining packaging can lead to cost savings. Using excess packaging materials such as oversized boxes, and unnecessary branding can increase the overall cost of packaging. Efficient packaging minimizes waste and its impact on the environment, while reducing shipping costs. Smaller and lighter packages cost less to ship. In a market where many businesses are striving to differentiate themselves, efficient packaging can set a company apart. It showcases a commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices, which can attract customers who align with these values.

Scaling delivery with Walmart GoLocal

Walmart GoLocal works closely with clients to identify the local delivery solutions that are best for their business’ unique objectives – whether it’s driving more e-commerce sales or working on getting your foot in the door with offering delivery. Walmart GoLocal has strong driver coverage in urban and rural markets and diverse delivery capabilities, including small parcel, oversized delivery, scheduled, unscheduled, etc. We work alongside you to find the solutions that are best suited to achieve your desired outcomes. We’re bringing the best of Walmart’s long-standing retail, logistics and marketing expertise to our clients so businesses can bring their in-store and online shopping experiences directly to their customers’ doorstep.

Wondering where to go from here? We can work with you on a custom strategy to help you drive momentum and properly scale after launching delivery. Schedule a consultation today!