While home delivery is not a new concept, it has certainly evolved across multiple industries. This has coincided with the rise of online shopping, with e-commerce now established as the fastest growing retail market in Europe. It is also expected to rise exponentially in the US, from $306.85 billion in 2014 to $349.20 billion by the end of 2015. These trends are expected to continue beyond this year and well into next, as a growing number of markets invest in e-commerce and viable home delivery systems.
So here are three industries that have embraced the concept of home delivery in recent times and strived to improve the consumer experience as a result.
Fast food home delivery
Although many independent take-away outlets have always delivered fast food to customers within a local area, the last five years have seen the emergence of niche delivery services such as Just Eat, Hungry House and Deliveroo. This is creating a more competitive marketplace, with firms striving to ensure that customers can tailor their experience to suit their specific needs. Interestingly, Burger King recently became the first fast food outlet to trial a direct home delivery service, in order to reduce costs and compete more aggressively with gourmet chains.
Florist services and home delivery
Traditionally, buying flowers for a loved one or family member required you to seek out a local florist and select from a relatively limited range of options. This has changed in recent times, however, with the emergence of several specialist companies that offer international flower delivery through an online portal. Take FloraQueen, for example, which processes online orders and offers next day delivery to various locations around the world. Sites of this nature also partner with local florists, offering additional delivery options to customers who will not be at home when their order arrives.
Supermarket home delivery
The grocery industry is among the most competitive in the world, while it is also one that has benefited greatly from home delivery options. Market leaders such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda all offer an extensive home delivery service to customers, delivering to those within a predetermined local area and employing a fleet of vehicles to achieve this. We are also seeing these brands look to improve their home delivery service in order to steal a march on their competitors, either by extending their catchment area or reducing the associated booking fee.
