The Beginner's Guide To Hyperlocal Delivery In Retail Business

As a retail business, you aim to attract footfall. You are keen that your store is at your customers’ front-of-mind to help you deliver products without hassle. You can now fulfil this objective and push your business to the right customers through hyperlocal delivery. Let’s get to know more about how hyperlocal delivery works.

Until recently, hyperlocal delivery services were limited to offline shops that had customers calling in to place orders. Now, thanks to the internet, customers can conveniently and easily access your store online without having to call your shop. 

Given the powerful impact it could have on your business, this is a strategy you can no longer afford to ignore. A hyperlocal delivery business model can:

• Give you the opportunity to increase your sales
• Allow you to sell in targeted zones
• Help build a futuristic and sustainable business ecosystem
• Ensure maximum result with minimum effort 

‘Hyperlocal’ means concentrating on a targeted geographical region or community. It is primarily based on two factors:

• Time
• Region or geography

A successful hyperlocal delivery model revolves around providing customers with the shortest delivery timeframe in a targeted region or area. 

The hyperlocal delivery ecosystem has different business models. These are:

1. The Aggregator Model: A common hyperlocal delivery model that acts as an intermediary between physical stores or retailers and their customers.
2. The Single-Store Model: Typically used by retailers with an offline store who are now looking to sell online.
3. The Store-Pick Model: Customers order products online but pick the items from the offline store.
4. The Hybrid Model: Implements a mix of the above-mentioned models. 

To have a strong hyperlocal marketplace, it is important to have a robust backend system that operates in real-time.

That means, when you receive an order from your customer, you need to ensure that you fulfil the order within the specified timeframe.

In retail, a hyperlocal delivery marketplace works in four primary stages:

1. Tracking the location of your customer through your store’s mobile app or website
2. Accepting the order from your customer only after detecting their location
3. Receiving the notification for the new order
4. Having a delivery executive pick the product from your store and deliver it to the customer 

As an online business, your website or mobile app must be equipped with an ordering service. It must allow you to accept and process the orders seamlessly and without delay.

You must track the order and delivery status to ensure that your customer receives the product within the specified timeframe.

There are a few key elements involved to launch and sustain a hyperlocal service. These include:

• An offline store or warehouse to provide the product
• A website or mobile app that receives orders and updates you about their status
• A logistics or delivery partner
  

If you are thinking of launching a hyperlocal delivery service to accompany your offline store, there are a few things you need to consider. From planning to backend operations and actual execution, here is a list of all the things you need to keep in mind.  

1. Selecting your niche: Analysing the demand and supply of products to choose the right business type. 
2. Identifying your customers: Who are the type of customers that will be interested in your products? This information is crucial for efficient marketing.  
3. Arranging doorstep delivery: Hiring delivery boys or partnering with home delivery agencies to carry out delivery for your customers.
4. Ensuring that your app and website has in-built hyperlocal delivery services: Having a website is not enough. To ensure that your customers remain loyal, it is important to have a shop management system that provides real-time hyperlocal delivery services without error. Zadinga is a shop management app with powerful features that can add hyperlocal services features to your existing offerings. 

In the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, the hyperlocal delivery model became an efficient way of improving economic activity while balancing social distancing. Given its promising start, it has much to offer for the future. 

To stay ahead of the curve, you must introduce innovative ways of catering to your customers. And in this regard, on-demand hyperlocal business models can be the real game-changer for your store.

Zadinga offers the right smart features to grow your business efficiently through its one-stop-shop management app. It offers cutting-edge technologies through your mobile phone to help you manage your entire hyperlocal marketplace.

Get on board with your hyperlocal business and boost your growth rate by connecting with Zadinga today.