CINCINNATI – (BUSINESS WIRE) Third Party Delivery – food that is ordered for delivery – combined sales at the five largest meal delivery companies in the United States rose 36 percent year-over-year in November 2019 as reported by Second Measure, a firm which analyzes U.S. consumer spending. With emerging technologies and food delivery services disrupting the traditional business model, restaurants are looking for ways to optimize their operations and increase their share of off-premise revenues.
“Today, consumers rely on mobile ordering and third-party delivery services,” stated Apex CEO Kent Savage. “These trends have a dramatic effect on a store’s operations – specifically order volume, velocity and, of course, labor. This unlocks opportunity for improvement across the board – incremental sales, profits and customer loyalty,” continued Savage. “With competitive food choices expanding, brands have the opportunity to leverage technology by providing a fast and easy pick-up experience which delights all of the stakeholders – delivery drivers, associates and customers – and keeps them coming back for more.”
Apex self-serve order pick-up lockers position restaurants for sustainable growth with three strategies for creating more convenient off-premise dining experiences:
- Make Pick-Up Fast and Easy – Neither customers nor delivery drivers want to wait in lines or congested entrances. They want skip-the-line pick-up convenience. With 85% of diners being more likely to use third-party delivery in the future, delivery is going to continue to grow. Consider providing a dedicated area where they can go to and skip the lines all together and pick-up their orders from a secure, self-serve locker.
- More Choices Help Grow the Bottom Line – Incorporating a third-party delivery service or a digital ordering platform doesn’t need to be a chore. These new options can provide incremental growth, without replacing one choice for another. We are seeing consumers embrace all service styles – in store dining, mobile order, locker pick-up, carry-out/delivery. Providing your customers with more options keeps your brand at the front of their minds and offers greater potential for a larger share of their wallet.
- Design a Delightful Experience – Maintaining the quality and security of every order is critical. Apex intelligent order pick-up solutions, provide the opportunity to optimize review order dwell times, reduce delivery driver wait times and improve customer and employee satisfaction.