Update How coronavirus pandemic has boosted the delivery business worldwide

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads rapidly across the world, grocery delivery apps have witnessed a surge in the number of daily downloads. Be it Instacart, Walmart Grocery, or Shipt, all these apps have recently set new milestones by recording massive increase in daily downloads by 160%, 218%, and 124% respectively.

Almost all the major industry sectors including transportation, travel, capital goods, and manufacturing have adversely affected because of the coronavirus outbreak. But, even this grim situation has opened the doors of new opportunities for a few industry sectors. Let’s go through these sectors.

Grocery Delivery Services

The first essential item during situations like lockdown or virus outbreak is grocery. In this couple of months, online grocery delivery apps have seen a massive increase in the number of downloads.

In the most-affected countries like China and the USA, people tend to rely on online groceries to meet their daily food requirements. It is the reason why apps like Instacart and Walmart Grocery have seen a massive increase in the number of downloads in recent times.

Mail and Delivery Services

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has affected mail and delivery services in speed and efficiency, most of the delivery companies are opened. CDC has mentioned that there is a very low chance of coronavirus spreading through shipped packages and products because of poor survivability of the virus on the surface.

In some countries, on-demand courier delivery apps have also worked wonders. People, in countries that have considered courier services as essential services, can leverage the benefits of on-demand courier services through customized mobile apps. They can track the consignment and get the courier at the doorstep.

Also Read- How to Build On-demand Grocery Delivery App for Tech-savvy Shoppers

Food Delivery Services

Restaurant companies and third-party delivery agencies can boost revenue by facilitating their customers to order online. Food delivery apps are designed to provide convenience to app users while ordering food.

Hungry, self-quarantined people can order food by using such apps and get delivery at their doorsteps. Food delivery apps are a quick, convenient, and useful option for people who work from home and want to avoid crowded restaurants or food zones during the situation of COVID-19 pandemic.

Countries like the US and Spain where the outbreak is more disastrous than other countries can remain big boosters for the food delivery business because people avoid going out all time.

Rise of Contactless Delivery

Contactless delivery is a new norm for restaurants and dining halls. Many reputed brands have already adopted a zero-contact approach to their deliveries especially to prevent their customers and employees from dreaded coronavirus. An option is already given in the food delivery apps for the users.

App users or customers need to select this option before placing an order. On selecting the contactless option, the delivery person will keep the food in front of the customer’s doorstep rather than giving it directly to the customers.

The delivery person also waits outside to ensure the delivery is collected by the user. Apart from contactless delivery, many restaurants and food delivery outlets have started implementing best practices to minimize the person-to-person contact inside and outside the food court.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many restaurants have reduced their staff to make sure that they can prevent the impact of coronavirus pandemic.

Here we would also like to mention the contactless payment solution. Most grocery and food delivery apps offer payment gateways for swift and secure online payment. Once the app users pay by using their credit or debit cards, they can get food in a tamper-evident package. In a way, they just get rid of going out and contacting people for payments.

Online Delivery

Online retail business is another beneficiary of the recent situation. The online retail giant Amazon has extended its workforce by 100, 000 in the US to meet the surge in online demand of various products.

However, it faces issues like out-of-stock situations or delays in deliveries. Even prime customers have to wait for several days due to delayed delivery.

These issues have compelled it to put a notice regarding the unavailability of inventory and delivery. As shoppers continue to put orders online, even large online retailers also face a shortage of items.

Concluding Lines

The COVID-19 pandemic is spread exponentially across the world. Almost all enterprises have started taking the brunt of this dreaded disease. On one hand, many industries strive to survive, and on the other hand, online delivery businesses witness a surge in the number of downloads.

Customized grocery delivery apps and food delivery apps can open new avenues for business and help startups thrive in such a challenging situation.

You can boost your food or grocery delivery business while preventing it from the adverse effects of coronavirus outbreak through a customized mobile app solution.