Contactless Delivery - Need for the Food Industry

The current pandemic has given rise to a new lifestyle of social distancing. People who were social once prefer to stay at home now. Online Food Ordering and Delivery has already been started in many developed and underdeveloped countries after the lock down. Restaurants have struggled and changed their way of doing business. They followed safety measures and took precautions for the staff and food. In addition, restaurants did marketing, redesigned website, updated new menu, etc. Yet customers don’t feel safe for ordering food and get it delivered. Drivers too want to cut the risk of infection by minimizing contact with customers and restaurants through the delivery process. This led to a major change in almost every country. That most important service is contactless delivery approach.

What is Contactless Delivery?

Providing food to the customers with no direct contact between the restaurant staff, delivery boys, and customers. The aim of this new idea is the safety of customers, delivery boys, and restaurants. Further, delivering food to the customers as per their convenience.

Best Standards to be followed:

Clear contactless delivery button at check out page.
Special delivery instructions box so that customers mention the place for dropping the parcel.
Using digital payment methods and prohibiting cash on delivery completely to avoid the risk.

How Contactless Delivery Works?

Customer opens website/app
Browse restaurants and selects food of his choice and place order
Select contactless delivery option as delivery
Mention special delivery instructions
Makes Payment
Driver delivers the food as per your instructions

There is no physical contact between the delivery boy and the customer. Through food delivery platforms, customer orders food selecting contactless delivery as a delivery method. In addition, mentions time and delivery instructions. Restaurant notifies them via SMS, push notification, or a call about the order. Further, driver keeps the parcel at a specific place mentioned by the customer. Then waits until the customer picks up the parcel. This approach works with contactless payment. Payment is made through the website while the order is placed. Cash on delivery is not suitable as there will be human contact.

What Contactless Delivery Approach Must Include?

Marketing of Contactless Delivery Feature on different platforms

Restaurants must communicate contactless delivery on different platforms. This helps customers to feel safe and visit your website for ordering. It follows with clear mentioning of contactless delivery and special instructions tab at the checkout.

Fully Automated System

To make this approach work, one must have a fully automated system. This includes customer, restaurant, admin, and dispatcher and delivery boy sides. All these entities are connected from ordering till the delivery through the platform. Hence, it makes easy for everyone to do their own work with no human contact.

Automated Tips through the system

Customers offer tips to the delivery boy or the restaurants for their delicious food or service. Having automated tips through the platform will avoid human contact between the delivery boy and the customer.

Proof of Delivery

Businesses wants proof of delivery. This proof is given in the form of digital signature. Delivery boy handles his phone to the customer for digital signature. This causes a risk of the spread of the virus. Replacing digital signatures with a photograph as proof of delivery helps in contactless service.

Once used as a convenience, delivery has become a necessity now. If you are owing a food ordering business, it’s essential to have a contactless delivery approach. This will assure customers of being safe and will definitely increase your sales.

You can also check –

Marketing Techniques For Restaurants during COVID-19

Preventives Measures to ensure safety food and sanitized delivery?