Curbside pickup and food delivery apps have taken the restaurant and grocery industry by storm. No longer do customers have to physically visit retail and restaurant locations to enjoy their products. Whether it’s a cheeseburger from McDonald’s or a week’s worth of groceries from Kroger, it can be had by logging into a mobile app, clicking a couple of buttons, and voilà, it’s either on the way to your door or waiting for you to come and pick it up.
Convenience is the name of the game and the game is buzzing. Hundreds of thousands of businesses around the country have already joined but not all of those restaurants, retail stores, or grocery stores are thriving just yet. Are you one of those businesses that are looking to get more out of your curbside pickup and delivery services?
Here are four helpful ways to do just that:
1. Get on an App
Having an individual app was the move not too long ago. And for some global giants, like Amazon and Walmart, it still works. However, for the heavy majority of businesses, that time has passed and it is not much more cost-effective to join a popular app. Now there are a ton of food delivery and retail pickup apps out there to fit exactly what you’re looking to do, including:
Food Delivery
Grocery Delivery
Whether you’re a mom and pop pizza shop or a nationally franchised grocery store, you are missing out on a ton of sales and opportunities by not joining (or making) an app for delivery or pickup services.
2. Structure Your Staff
With any business, having a systematic structure to the staff is important. But when adding a new feature, like delivery or curbside pickup, there are some moving parts that your staff may have not dealt with before. There will need to be dedicated staff to input orders, collect/make and run orders, and manage the entire system. This can be a restructuring of the staff or, with the expected increase in sales, could be an opening to add some new faces to the team.
3. Select Appropriate Packaging
One of the more overlooked aspects of food and grocery delivery is the packaging. Whether it’s the direct food container itself or the bags it’s being delivered/picked up in, pick something that is both effective, appropriate, reusable, and branded properly. You’ll want hot meals to stay hot, not sweaty and messy. You’ll want cold meals to stay cool and fresh. You’ll want the liquids to stay in the containers and not spill all over the car or customer. And you’ll want to do all of this while branding your business with either the packaging or the bag itself.
4. Designated Parking Spots with Proper Signage
Whether your business is looking to join a food/grocery delivery service or a curbside pickup service, designated parking spots are key. These assigned spaces will be for delivery drivers or direct customers that are coming in to pick up their goods. So, it’s important for the spots to be well maintained, close to the building, well lit, and well-marked to make their experience as easy as possible.
To mark the spots or loading zones, there are several options on the market:
If you’re looking for something permanent in your own parking lot, a Bollard Sign System is a great fit. It’s simple to install, adds a touch of protection to your storefront, and can be designed in any color scheme imaginable to match branding needs. But not all businesses can just install bollards in their parking lots or storefronts.
Ideal Shield’s custom-designed Bollard Sign Systems for McDonald’s curbside pickup services
So, if you’re looking for something easier to add and remove when necessary, the Portable Plastic Sign Base is the perfect fit. As strong as concrete (when properly filled) but light enough to maneuver and move for employees, the Portable Sign Base will clearly mark designated parking spots to make courier’s and customer’s lives easier. The bases are available in any color under the sun and can be designed with custom company logos and decals to really make them pop.
Ideal Shield’s custom-colored Sign Bases used for Lowe’s curbside pickup services
If you haven’t joined in on the curbside pickup or delivery services yet and it fits your business, you may be missing the boat a bit. But don’t worry, it hasn’t left the marina just yet.
So, jump on board by using these four helpful tips to add and improve curbside pickup and delivery services at your restaurant, retail, or grocery store.
For more information on the Bollard Sign Systems and Portable Sign Bases, make sure to contact Ideal Shield’s experienced and knowledgable sales team today!