One of the most debated topics in last-mile logistics is how to meet the needs of people in small communities. Home delivery for everything from restaurant meals and groceries to water and even alcohol has been steadily growing in large cities where drivers can make deliveries quickly and efficiently. However, the challenge still lies in how to offer goods to the rest of the population living miles apart in rural areas. In today’s post, we’re going to discuss how you can tap into this under-served market to meet the needs of those living outside of big city limits. Keep reading to learn more.

Challenges of Last-Mile Logistics

Last-mile delivery can be quite a challenge. Managing dozens of incoming orders, planning the resources you’ll need to get those orders to their destinations quickly — especially in the case of hot or cold food — and optimizing routes so you don’t spend all of your profits on fuel are just some of the difficulties faced when it comes to last-mile logistics. Fortunately, two of these challenges are minimized by offering delivery services in large cities where several stops can be made in just a few miles. But how do you expand beyond the big city and into less populated areas? 

Food Delivery in Rural Illinois

Here’s how one business owner found success with subscription delivery in the country. There may have been less demand for home delivery in small towns pre-COVID, but now social distancing rules and home quarantines have changed all of that. That’s why the owner of a sub shop in rural Illinois decided to take delivery into his own hands. Knowing that it wouldn’t be economically feasible to hire dedicated delivery drivers just for his shop, Andrew Carlson of Scoops Famous Subs in Oregon, Illinois recruited help from other fellow restaurant owners. Together, they were able to use one team of drivers to deliver food from multiple restaurants and spread the cost between them. This approach made delivery feasible and helped to boost sales during an otherwise difficult time. You can read the full story here.  

Small Town, Big Opportunity

According to an article posted on QSRWeb, food delivery is really starting to take hold in smaller communities. It’s a great option for people who want their local favorites but are unable to (or don’t wish to) drive in to get them. If you run a local business and are considering adding delivery to your list of offerings, the article mentions a few tips you may want to consider.

• Increase awareness of delivery through in-store marketing
• Determine if there is a local delivery team already in place that you could partner with
• Investigate opportunities to market delivery through cross-promotional events

Keep in mind that success in the delivery business requires careful management of costs. You can easily spend more money to deliver your products than what you’re making in profit if you don’t monitor carefully how much you are spending on delivery. That’s where delivery management software from Delivery Biz Pro can help. We make it easy to monitor and track data so you can optimize your business and run more efficiently.

Route Optimization

One way to reduce delivery cost is through route optimization. Our software allows your drivers to find the most efficient route for their deliveries. This is particularly important for small-town delivery businesses where more of their costs are linked to the farther distances their drivers have to go. One wrong turn can mean several added miles (fuel cost) and time wasted (labor cost). Plus, when you’re dealing with perishable food, it’s even more critical to ensure you’re getting there as quickly as possible.

Customer Communication Tools

Being able to deliver to your customers quickly and efficiently is only one part of a successful delivery business. You also need to be able to communicate with your customers in real-time to send order confirmations, estimated delivery times, and more. The communication tools included with our delivery management software make it easy to track all of your customer information in one place and set up automated emails and texts for easy messaging. Even if you’re a small business, customers still have certain expectations, and the right software can help you meet them. 

Data Management

Delivery Biz Pro has all of the features you need to run a successful delivery business — including data management tools. We’ve designed our software to be easy to use, yet robust enough to grow with you. With it, you’ll have access to reports that will give you valuable insight into all areas of your business — orders, inventory, finances, customer feedback, and so much more. 

Conquer Last-Mile Logistics With Delivery Software From Delivery Biz Pro

Are you looking to venture into delivery, or expand your current delivery options? Our platform provides seamless integration and communication between your frontend marketplace and the backend day-to-day operation with tools that give you the ultimate view into real-time data. Find out how Delivery Biz Pro can help your business by scheduling a free demo today.