Contactless Delivery and Online Shopping is on High Demand this Holiday Season

Contactless Delivery

Contactless Delivery

With COVID-19 crippling both humans and businesses, contactless delivery has emerged as a savior. More people than ever are shopping online for health related items and all other sorts of products to avoid human contact. But although the shopping process is contactless, delivery hands need to come in contact with the customers to deliver the package. 

Contactless delivery resolves this hurdle. Now, customers can order products online and collect them at their doorstep without coming in contact with anyone. 

What is Contactless Delivery?

Contactless delivery is a new and rather unusual technique in which the delivery person drops your package outside your door instead of handing it over to you. The concept was first introduced by food aggregators and restaurants, but now, it’s been largely used in eCommerce.

Here’s how contactless delivery, one of the holiday online shopping safety tips, works. You place an order and make the payment online. Many eCommerce providers allow you to choose the “contactless delivery” option. But even if they don’t, you can call the logistics company and request a contactless delivery. 

The delivery person will then leave your shipment on your door to pick it up. You can then collect it once the delivery person leaves. Therefore, there is no contact at all between you and the delivery person. Hence the name, contactless delivery. 

As the holiday season approaches, the demand for online shopping and contactless delivery options have increased significantly. With the ongoing pandemic, many shoppers are opting for safer ways to purchase gifts and groceries without having to leave their homes. This trend has led to a rise in alt milk delivery Australia service.

Many Australian companies have recognized this growing trend and are now offering alt milk delivery services through their online platforms. Customers can easily browse through various options for alternative milks and add them to their virtual cart before checking out.

Why is Contactless Delivery in High Demand?

This is quite self-explanatory. With COVID-19 disrupting humankind in ‘n’ number of ways, people want to take every possible step to avoid human contact. Since most people have ditched offline shopping, holiday online shopping is the only remaining way. 

But even on online shopping holidays, human contact was not entirely unavoidable. Delivery agents had to come to your doorstep and hand over the shipment to you. This led to a risk of disease transmission. And several news reports of transmission by delivery agents also emerged during the initial phase of the pandemic. 

Hence, contactless delivery has emerged as a key element in ensuring seamless holiday online shopping without the risk of transmission. 

The Benefits of Contactless Delivery

The benefits of contactless delivery against COVID-19 are evident. It eliminates human contact and ensures a reduced risk of transmission. But the benefits don’t end here. 

Online holiday shopping statistics suggest that contactless delivery offers several business advantages as well. Here’s how contactless delivery can help your business stay afloat in these tough times. 

1. Profitability and Business Survival

Profitability

Profitability

The times have changed, and consumers don’t appreciate coming in contact with other people. The businesses, therefore, need to adapt. By using contactless delivery, you send a message to your customers that you care about their safety. Furthermore, you can provide assurance that the products you’re shipping are contact-free and hence don’t carry the risk of transmission. This way, you can utilize contactless delivery as a unique selling point and ensure the survival and profitability of your business. 

2. Customer Convenience

For customers, contactless delivery can be a dealbreaker. Several studies have indicated the quality of service is one of the primary factors customers consider when choosing a vendor. When you provide contactless delivery, you show that you’re serious about the quality of service you provide to your customers. Besides, you can also allow customers to choose the time slots of their choice for a better experience. As a customer they can shop online for home and kitchen products that let them get it without coming in contact with the delivery person. 

3. Digital Competence

With the world going digital, businesses need to implement digital readiness in their business. The technological implementation enables you to use contactless communication to engage and interact with your customers. This way, delivery agents can utilize contactless communication to ensure seamless contactless delivery. This digital competence makes your business more accessible and customer-ready. 

4. Brand Connection

Brand

Brand

With a safe and hygienic contactless delivery system in place, you can utilize digital means to interact with your customers. When you create a safe and pleasant experience for your customers, they’re more likely to trust you. This leads to the development of a brand connection, which is critical to sustainable business growth. 

5. Contactless Payments

Payments

Payments

Digital payments are booming. Even before the onset of the pandemic, people were increasingly using digital mobile wallets for payments rather than using cash or cards. But with COVID-19 in hindsight, people are switching to contactless payments. 

Vendors that offer contactless delivery can take advantage of digital payment methods. They can enable their customers to pay online from their wallets instead of juggling between dollar bills. This eliminates the need for cash and makes it easy for your customers to make payments. 

6. Reduced Risk of Virus Spread

Of course, contactless delivery reduces the risk of virus spread. Your customers can get their favorite items without stepping out of their homes. And your delivery persons can deliver the shipment without coming in contact with the customers. Since human contact is entirely eliminated, the risk of virus spread significantly plunges. 

7. Safety of Employees

These are hard times, not only for businesses but for employees working for those businesses. A lot of employees have lost their jobs, and those who haven’t, are putting their lives in danger to get the job done. When you adopt contactless delivery, you ensure the safety of your employees. 

Are There Any Challenges?

Contactless delivery surely offers myriad benefits. But since it’s a novel concept, it might not sit right with a lot of vendors. To effectively pull off contactless delivery, vendors need to have a robust communication system in place. The customers should have a way of tracking the status of their orders in real-time. 

A major challenge that might occur is what if the customer isn’t at home. Leaving the package outside the doorstep would be a clear invitation for thieves and robbers to steal the item. Therefore, vendors need to deploy strategic measures to ensure the success and efficiency of contactless delivery

Conclusion

With holiday online shopping on the rise, businesses need to take steps to keep their business up and running. Contactless delivery has emerged as a key player in helping businesses deliver a safe and seamless experience to their customers. But the implementation of contactless delivery isn’t easy, and businesses will need to make crucial operational changes.