As a merchant, maximizing sales is important, but choosing the right partner to help take your delivery business even further can feel daunting. And with the general unpredictability of running a business—including supply chain and staffing issues and shifting customer demands—it can be hard to know where to start. The key is to focus on a partner that offers flexibility and a wide range of delivery options that you can tailor to your specific needs.
Whether you’re managing deliveries through your staff or using a third-party delivery partner, both can help orders run smoothly, keep customers happy, and raise your bottom line. Since every business is unique, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. So opt for a partner, like Uber Eats, that can do all of the above.
Identify your delivery needs
No matter how you run your business, flexibility is vital. That means not being tied to just one option so that you can choose one or multiple types of delivery.
Questions to consider
- What kind of customer experience do you want to create?
- Do you need access to marketing tools to get your brand out there?
- What type of operational support does your business need?
When deciding on a delivery partner, look for one with flexible offerings that you can pick and choose from.
Decide how best to use a delivery partner
Next, you’ll need to decide how you’d like to reach your customers. Listing your business on a third-party marketplace, such as Uber Eats, is a quick and easy way to immediately expand your reach. A major benefit of choosing an on-demand marketplace is that the technology aspects of the ordering and delivery process are managed for you. That means more time to focus on stocking your shelves or preparing your best-selling dishes.
What’s in it for you
- Expand your reach: When you list your business on a third-party marketplace, people searching in your area can discover you.
- Outsource operations: You can rely on them to fulfill same-day delivery for you through their network of delivery people.
- For example, 3.5 million active drivers and delivery people use the Uber Eats platform and the average delivery time is less than 30 minutes globally.* This network of delivery people can help you reach more customers, increase sales, and save you the trouble of hiring and training your own team.
- Get insights: You gain access to tools that make it easy for you to manage delivery operations, such as the Uber Eats Orders app and Uber Eats Manager.
- These tools also provide you with data and insights on order volumes and sales trends, helping you make informed decisions.
Marketplaces do come with associated fees, but the potential incremental revenue can offset additional overhead and unlock new growth. Look for a partner that offers pricing for businesses of all sizes.
- For example, Uber Eats offers a range of flexible pricing plans, giving you more control and transparency into what you pay.
Merchant successes
- 86% of US merchants say that Uber Eats has been beneficial to their bottom line*
- 84% of US merchants report that offering delivery or pickup with Uber Eats has increased revenue by an average of 15%*
Consider your additional needs
Running a business can mean new challenges and opportunities on the daily, and you need a partner that can support your changing needs. Even if you decide not to handle deliveries using a marketplace, you can still benefit from a delivery partner that provides you with multiple ways to run your business.
Alternative delivery and ordering methods
- Self-delivery lets you enjoy all of the benefits of an online marketplace while using your own staff to deliver your orders.
- Learn more about delivering with your staff
- Online ordering helps you turn website traffic into sales—from people who already visit your website or follow you on social media, and from new people who find you in a search.
- Learn more about online ordering with Webshop
- Pickup is another option to consider. Delivery can help boost sales, but on-premise options, like pickup, give your customers a fast and easy way for them to place and retrieve orders at your brick-and-mortar location with less overhead for you.
- Learn more about pickup orders
- Contactless ordering is an option that restaurants, specifically, can consider to give customers and your staff more flexibility. This gives customers a convenient way to order and pay while dining in your restaurant. It also saves your team valuable time during a busy shift.
- Learn more about Dine-in
Ready to increase sales with a delivery partner?
Whether you’re all-in on using a marketplace or prefer other delivery options, you’ve got choices. Getting started is easy.
If you’re new to delivery, get started >
If you’re an existing merchant, check out Merchant Academy >
*Internal data from Uber Eats and Small Businesses: Partnering for Impact report 2021.
Posted by Cleo Tarca
Get a ride when you need one
Start earning in your city
Get a ride when you need one
Start earning in your city
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