Food Delivery : The Shortest Route may not always be the Best Route

One of the major misconceptions around the food industry business is that the shortest route is always the best one. Contrary to popular belief, the best delivery route depends on a number of factors. The food delivery business is more complicated than it appears.

During the pandemic, people have realized the importance of the food delivery app. Instead of running to the nearest food or grocery store, they choose the online shopping method. It’s easier and safer for them. Even businesses have started to develop an on-demand delivery app to survive the pandemic and competition.

But, what about the delivery service providers? What route should they prefer to ensure safe delivery? Should they go for the shortest route to get the ordered products delivered quickly? Let’s find out.

Consistent Delivery Service

Consistency in the food delivery industry refers to the process of providing customers with their ordered goods on time and with the same delivery man. Not only does it have a good impact on customers, but consistency can improve your business’ performance. Here’s how:

• Customer Satisfaction : Research suggests that customers want delivery at a particular time. They like to keep the delivery schedule consistent. Moreover, getting deliveries from the same deliveryman increases their level of satisfaction with a brand.

• Employee Satisfaction : Employees love to be part of a company that manages to keep its customers satisfied with consistent and quality deliveries.

However, it is not always possible for a food company to assign the best time as well as a driver to a customer while following the best possible route. So, the question is how can you plan the best route while maintaining the consistency your customers expect from you?

According to the sources, most companies put their customer satisfaction above everything. To the owners, a satisfied customer is more important than the delivery route the delivery man follows to deliver the ordered products. The maximum a business can save by picking the best possible route for the delivery is 5.2% of the total operational cost. However, they will face a bigger loss if they lose their customer or employee in the process.

That’s the reason why businesses prioritize customers over the optimal route. They make sure the same employee completes all the food delivery orders of the same customer.

Crowd shipping

One of the major trends we have witnessed in the online food delivery industry is Crowd shipping. It is already embraced by some of the renowned food delivery companies such as Doordash, UberEats etc.

Crowd shipping means hiring local drivers for faster delivery. Companies no longer rely on full-time delivery employees. They are rather open to all the local drivers. One of the main benefits of this trend is customer satisfaction. People choose online food shopping because of the faster delivery time. They expect their order to be delivered in the shortest time possible. So, what could be a better way to cater to their requirements than by hiring a local driver that guarantees the same-day delivery service?

That’s the reason why Crowd shipping is drawing the attention of businesses and investors.

Delivery Route Planners

Some companies plan their routes considering the employees' safety and current regulations. For instance, some businesses avoid left turns as it has a higher chance of accidents. Companies may also plan routes that may consume less fuel and save delivery time.

To do that, businesses can customize their routes on Google Maps and other route planners. It is a great way to save some bucks on fuel consumption while achieving customer and employee satisfaction.

Conclusion

Delivery Route optimization is a must for all Logistics companies and in case of Food delivery every customer expects their food to reach them fresh. Optimized route planning for Food delivery executives not only improves punctual customer service it also reduces operation costs.Route optimization is a key feature for all Food delivery apps