Are you looking to start a sideline delivery business amid the ongoing pandemic? Are you concerned if it’s going to be successful owing to the uncertainty and market instability?
In early 2020, almost all delivery services, especially food delivery businesses, such as Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates, etc., had second thoughts. While Grubhub, according to The Wall Street Journal, had thought to sell its app, the other big names in the delivery industry like DoorDash, Postmates, and Uber Eats were considering mergers.
And then the pandemic came, changing everything upside down.
Pandemic Brought Depression and Anxiety
No doubt, it brought nightmares for almost everything, from lives to livelihood. Small, medium to large businesses are left devastated, and there is still uncertainty if things will be back to normal anytime soon. But, for a few sectors, it turned out to be an “opportunity amid adversity.”
Grubhub was considering putting itself on sale just before the pandemic grew to a $16 billion valuation at the end of 2020. DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats, among various others, thrived, and many new-age startups are exploring potentials into the delivery sector.
What Caused the Sudden Growth in the Delivery Sector?
The delivery business witness saw an unprecedented surge in demand owing to the prolonged lockdown and uncertainties. People have gotten used to online delivery services in the wake of stay in home orders. Now, the changed behavior is hard to go away. Due to lockdown, Uber’s ride-hailing service was the hardest hit, but its UberEats kept Uber thrive.
Did you know DoorDash reported to be valued at $72 billion on its first day of the New York Stock Exchange in the last week of December 2020?
So, every delivery business has got its moment amid a pandemic. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top reasons that sparked the on-demand delivery service.
1. People Staying at Home
The spark in the delivery sector is considered the storm created due to the health crisis paired with the economic crisis. Billions of people are locked inside the home and getting their food and daily essentials delivered. That resulted in skyrocketing demand in the delivery sector. Everything is delivered using the digital platform, whether it is food, medicines, groceries, wine, or beer. Let’s explore the top reasons;
2. Prolonged Lockdown
Due to prolonged lockdown, shopping behavior has severely been impacted. People tend to avoid going to crowded places while unnecessary outings are almost zero. They step out of their homes only if it is extremely essential. They get their groceries delivered to the doorstep. Just a click of a button enables them to get whatever they need in the right specified time. Even the toilet papers and wine/beer are delivered by the vendors directly to their homes. In short, everything has become delivery-oriented.
3. Digital Services Grabbing Attention
As peoples’ shopping behavior has changed, businesses are adapting technologies to catch up with the trends. Insurers into self-service claims settlement to retailers offering contactless home delivery and healthcare moving to telehealth, every business is turning delivery oriented. These shifts were easily adaptable due to the digital revolution. The year 2020/21 will be known for digital years, though it’s our assessment.
4. Social Distancing is New Normal
Social distancing is not just a trend; it is a new normal today, from the office and canteen to restaurant and public gatherings. It’s the norm and won’t be going away anytime soon. Even if the office starts and people resume work from the office, employers may not allow opening the cafeterias, and even crowding into elevators will be forbidden. That will also give a new dimension to the delivery services. Not just food but other essential delivery services will be smarter and efficient.
5. People Interest in Searching for Food Grew Up Significantly
People stay at their homes, and their interest in searching for food and other services has grown significantly. They like to explore things, and that gives a boost to the delivery sector. Here’s a search trends report by ‘towards data science.’ All our food, grocery, and other essential delivery services. Let’s take a look at it.
These are some of the top reasons that brought the delivery business into the limelight. But, when we say delivery business, it’s not just about the food delivery business; there are plenty of other delivery services that blossomed during a pandemic. So, if you are looking for delivery business ideas, to begin with amid a corona crisis, then the following paragraphs are all about it. Let’s explores;
Top Delivery Business Ideas to Explore in 2021/2022
Delivery business refers to anything, be it services or products, delivered to customers’ doorstep. It can be food, groceries, clothes, fashion accessories, or other essential services. Let’s explore some of the top delivery services that you can consider amid COVID-19 adversity.
1. Food Delivery Business
We have talked a lot about the food delivery business in the entire article. You must have understood the significance of food delivery. Food delivery is a big market that provides opportunities for people to start business and customers to surf their preferred cuisine and order at their convenience. You can choose to start either for a particular cuisine or build an aggregator app and connect restaurants with buyers. However, initially, you can start small and choose a particular region and cuisine. Once you are established, you can consider expanding your business to other regions and cuisines.
2. Grocery and Daily Essentials Delivery Business
As doctors and scientists are talking about the possible third wave of coronavirus, people are concerned about their safety. They are exploring ways to get their daily essentials, including groceries, fruits, and vegetables, delivered to their doorstep. You have this opportunity to grab the market and start fruits and grocery delivery services. You can build your app and provide on-demand delivery services. Or you can connect with retail stores in your areas and deliver the goods to their customers’ door. You can also connect with households who do not have time or do not want to step out of their homes by buying local groceries or daily essentials. They can connect you with your app and order the required groceries. You need to buy them on their behalf and deliver them. You can explore various other options to start a grocery delivery business.
3. Flowers and Gifts Delivery Services
Due to lockdowns and social distancing, people avoid going to crowded places. But, they like to greet their friends and loved ones by sending them gifts and flowers on their special occasions. You can be their mediator. All you need is an on-demand delivery app to kick start this business. You may need to market your service to connect with users and flower and gift stores. You have various opportunities in this field. Even gifts and flower stores can provide you with good business, though it’s not the only way to get your business to flourish. You have an immense opportunity into this.
4. After Hours Delivery Business
In cities, people get exhausted due to their busy schedules, and they often ignore their personal errands quite often. They need someone to look after it. That’s when the after-hours delivery service comes into the picture. You can start with anything, be it food delivery, meal prep delivery service, or others. In some cases, people reach home late at night, but they need preparing yet healthy food as soon as they reach home from their office. Besides, various other things they may need which after-hours delivery service can be fulfilled.
5. Salon Services
Did you know salon shops are still not allowed to start in many countries? People are forced to either do it themselves or get the service delivered at home. Isn’t it a nice opportunity for you? You can build an app and connect salon specialists and clients together. Or, if you are skilled, you can consider starting your on-demand salon service.
6. Bicycle Service Courier
People love delivery services that provide speed, comfort, and convenience. Unfortunately, traffic jams forbade delivery services to maintain speedy delivery. But, bicycle courier service can solve the issue efficiently. For example, bicycles can easily ditch traffic using the best-optimized routes. Delivery services can be quite easy and speedy with bicycles. However, it comes with limitations. Such service is useful in inter-city delivery or short-distance delivery. All you need to have is a strong network and courier service license. A strong and trained team can help you deliver courier packages.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to starting a delivery business, there is an immense possibility to make a successful start. Get good delivery business ideas supported by digital innovation. Besides, time never matters when it comes to starting your business. However, the delivery business would get a little added exposure at the time of adversity, and you may support quick time to market. So, get motivated, explore further, make a robust business plan and start your business. We believe you have got all the required information you need to start your delivery business.
