COVID-19 Effect: The Roadblocks of Online Food and Grocery Delivery and Their Potential Solutions

Where on one side the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus uprooted livelihood of many offline retailers, for online retailers it turned out to be growing stage as a drastic change in consumer behaviour took place and online shopping or ordering has started becoming the daily habit of people.

The COVID-19 pandemic, a global health emergency; has tossed our lives and everything around so badly that recovering from it seems to be a faraway thing now. It is beyond our imagination what Coronavirus is causing in our lives. No one predicted the world would face such a massive disruption for such a long period. More than it altered our way of living; it is the livelihood of people that has been affected severely. Offline retailers experienced the greatest of losses in their lifetime due to the lockdown and restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the virus.

Although no business sector has been left unaffected due to COVID-19, the grocery and food industry experienced both the brunt of this epidemic and is rising like a Phoenix bird because the demand for both is never-ending.

Grocery and food; are the most important thing and when the offline outlets for both came to a halt during the pandemic, people turned towards online stores. A sudden spike in orders was recorded in both online grocery shopping and online food delivery service during the lockdown period that continued thereafter due to the fear of Coronavirus and the need for practising social distancing. But every coin has two sides, similarly, online food and grocery delivery too; have some challenges which we are going to discuss below along with their potential solutions.

Challenge #1 – Rapid adoption of digital solutions

The existing online store might be lacking certain features that can help customers to shop with ease during the present situation. While for offline retailers transforming completely towards online would be even more difficult, which is why the rapid adoption of digital solutions for both offline and online grocery and food delivery retailers can be highly challenging.

Potential Solution – As rapid adoption of digital transformation holds the key to survival, sustained growth and profitability in the present situation, instead of going for it altogether, you can do it one at a time. Like, start with food delivery app development and then think about omnichannel presence later if running out of budget or approach an experienced food delivery website builder who offers discounts in complete online transformation.

Challenge #2 – Practising social distancing

So far, practising social distancing is one of the significant precautionary measures to avoid the spread of the virus other than handwashing and wearing a mask. However, it becomes challenging in online grocery and food delivery business where a number of staff workers are required to handle multiple operations.

Potential Solution – Try to limit the number of staff workers at a time. Keep them at shifts to avoid forming crowd. Also, do monitor their health regularly. Keep customers informed about any delay in delivery due to high demand and limited staff. Following this approach will not only help you keep running during the pandemic but also strengthen the trust among the customers towards you in maintaining hygiene and safety too.

Also Read:How to Keep Up the Mobile App Engagement of Customers amidst the Pandemic?

Challenge #3 – Changes in consumer behaviour

A great number of offline shoppers suddenly migrating towards online platforms is the biggest example of a drastic change in consumer behaviour. The online grocery and food delivery were here before the pandemic strike, but the majority of them still preferred offline shopping or dining out in restaurants. It was when COVID-19 came into our lives, online shopping or order appeared to be safe for people than risking lives outside which led to a sudden surge in orders on online grocery and food delivery apps.Also, during the lockdown, people started home cooking or opting for healthy meals to stay fit during the pandemic which caused a massive drop in orders for junk food and other heavy food orders.

Potential Solution – Keep your customers in the loop. Share with them how you are following health and safety protocols while preparing food, packing and delivering them. Same applies to the grocery delivery. Notify customers how you are keeping the health of your employees in check with temperature tracking, facemasks compulsion and regular cleaning & disinfecting to ensure the safe delivery of their orders. You can also add up some healthy meals in your menus like salads and immunity-boosting foods to meet the current demand.

Challenge #4 – Customers avoiding physical exposure

Those all who ventured out to shop groceries or eat out now prefer online shopping or food ordering, to avoid coming in contact with an infected person. Even the exchange of currency notes has been withdrawn as a safety measure.

Potential Solution – Include contactless delivery and payment in your online store to continue with your business. These will help customers to shop or order without any worry as the delivery person will leave the order at the doorstep after informing the customer and payment can be made online thus, no physical contact happens between the two.

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Now, in order to overcome the challenges, make sure your eCommerce or online grocery or food delivery app has the following features to keep going in this pandemic situation:

Delivery-safe menu items: Include fresh and nutritious food items having immunity-boosting ingredients in your menu or dishes that can be refrigerated and reheated without compromising the food quality.

Multiple delivery options: Since online orders are spiking; to meet the demand, offer multiple delivery options like contactless deliveries and curb side pick-up in your app.

Awareness notifications: It is important to keep your customers informed about the safety measures you are following to gain their trust and loyalty. Also, notify them about out of stock items, delivery delays, operational hours etc. timely.

Cashless payment methods: Since COD is risky during the current scenario; include multiple payment methods in your app that supports cashless transactions.

Wrapping up 

The end of Coronavirus is still unknown, but we cannot pause everything and wait for it to go away. The show must go on, and hence; facing the challenges and trying to overcome it is the only key to survival at present. Create online grocery store to get onlineor spice up your online grocery delivery app or online food-ordering app with new features to lift your business and keep going.