How to improve your store’s position on delivery and online ordering platforms
The popularity of these delivery platforms also means they are incredibly competitive marketplaces. Hundreds of stores are vying for each customer’s attention and standing out in the noise is every brand’s goal.
Food delivery marketplaces have transformed the way customers order and consume their meals. They are increasingly changing how we shop for groceries and other FMCG products.
For FMCG brands, convenience stores, and grocery giants, third-party delivery partners provide a platform that’s easy to get started on and full of eager shoppers to connect with.
However, the popularity of these delivery platforms also means they are incredibly competitive marketplaces. Hundreds of stores are vying for each customer’s attention, and every brand's goal is to stand out in the noise.
The big question is: how do you get to the top of the customer’s screen and rank better on delivery platforms?
7 ways to improve your delivery platform ranking
The answer is not straightforward. There’s no one magic solution, as all the platforms have different methods of ranking stores that they don’t reveal. But at the end of the day, the apps will reward stores that take more orders and have happy customers.
Improving your delivery performance is your key to success, but that’s a huge challenge in itself. Here, we delve deeper into the details, breaking the task into seven ways to improve your delivery platform ranking.
The aim is to make small improvements at first, and as your ranking improves, you will be able to create a virtuous cycle. Better performance leads to more customers, which leads to better reviews and a better ranking, which leads to more customers, and so on.
If you can cope with the increased demand and maintain consistent performance, you’ll be on the path to FMCG delivery success!
#1 Improve customer service
One of the challenges in using third-party delivery apps is that you don’t have control over the whole process. The drivers are usually gig workers not invested in your brand’s success. So there’s no guarantee their standards of service will match yours.
There are elements you can control, though. Here are some examples:
Reduce errors by assigning resources to double-check that orders are accurate and complete
Package goods carefully in a customer-pleasing way
Automate your order management to free staff from the misery of tablet hell and allow them more time to focus on customer experience.
Add personal touches like handwritten thank-you notes
These measures can go a long way to improving the parts of the customer experience you can control. You can also offer customers a direct line if they have an issue rather than leaving it up to the delivery partners, who are often impossible to reach.
#2 Improve delivery time
Research shows that 60% of delivery customers value the speed of delivery as the most important factor for customer satisfaction.
Improving delivery speed means optimizing at every stage of the order journey. As soon as the order is placed, the clock is ticking. Order management, how it is communicated to the personal shopper, and how the order is packed and handed over to the driver – all are points at which time can be shaved off each order.
Automating many of the processes involved can improve order and inventory management. Deliverect integrates with the delivery platforms to accept all orders into one system. It also automatically pushes them to your POS system, saving staff from re-punching orders.
Good communication from the person picking out the items to the delivery management team will help you time the order so it is ready when the driver arrives. This will save more time and keep the drivers happy!
#3 Improve order accuracy
Double- and triple-check every order to make sure every item is included, allergies are included, and customer notes have been attended to.
It helps to have a dedicated order packing station and staff members assigned to ensure that orders are accurate and complete before they are sent out.
Make sure you use good-quality images that clearly show the products for sale. This will avoid confusion on the customer’s end. For example, they might buy 10 units of an item thinking it’s a single product when actually they have ordered 10 multipacks. This kind of avoidable error can waste time and cause frustration to the customer and your staff.
#4 Increase average order value
You can take many simple actions to help increase the average value of each order, thereby improving your ranking on delivery apps.
You might be tempted to put hundreds of items on your menus, but this often backfires. To maximize efficiency, select the top-performing items.
Be sure to offer enticing upsells just as you do at the in-store checkout. Many apps allow you to highlight items frequently bought together or display special offers when users are checking out. Creating combos is a great way to increase basket size.
Again, high-quality images help to increase order value. Customers are more likely to purchase higher-value items if they look appetizing.
User experience is another crucial aspect of improving order value. Make sure your menu is laid out in a logical way—it makes sense to arrange items similarly to how they are in most stores. That way, customers feel comfortable in their buying habits. It will also help increase your store's conversion rate—the rate at which customers complete an order after putting items in the basket.
With so many items for sale, menu management is challenging for FMCG brands on multiple delivery platforms. Deliverect’s menu builder was designed to make life a lot easier. It allows you to build attractive menus with a logical flow and push them out to all the delivery platforms in one go. When you need to add items or make changes, you just need to go to one dashboard to update all your menus with one click.
#5 Better user reviews & ratings
Many of the apps have a top-rated category that showcases the best-performing stores. This is a massive opportunity to get in front of customers and increase orders.
Implementing all the measures above will improve your customer reviews. But assuming you are doing your best to offer a good service, one of the best ways is to ask for reviews. Include hand-written notes thanking the customer for the order and politely asking them to leave a review if they enjoyed the experience.
Another way to please your customers is to ensure their items arrive safely. Think about your packaging:
Bubble wrap fragile items
But don’t go overboard on the packaging so that it is a pain to unwrap the items
Use ice packs and cooler bags for cold and frozen items
Use sustainable, recyclable packaging where possible to minimize the environmental impact
#6 Use sponsored listings
Another way to jump the queue and get to the top of the listings is to pay for it. Delivery platforms often offer paid placements for brands looking to run promotions or campaigns to onboard new customers.
Improving your general performance is the best strategy for the longer term, but paying for short-term exposure could be a good option to consider for a big push for new customers or the launch of a new product line.
#7 Get featured with special offers
Delivery platforms often run campaigns you can hop on board with to get featured. Say you offered 10% when a customer spends over $30 on cosmetics, for example. A small reduction in the total checkout price can get you featured on the front page when users open the app. An eye-catching offer could massively increase sales and get your products in front of more consumers.
Here are offers to think about:
Buy one, get one free - on products you need to shift
$10 off your first order - to attract new customers
Free delivery on orders over $30 - increase average order value
Free item with orders over $20 - to increase order value
The other option is to get featured for your exceptional performance over a time period. Apps often have a ‘top picks’ or ‘most popular’ section at the top of the screen that attracts much attention.
The factors apps use to determine this are varied and generally kept under wraps, but here are the main factors to aim at:
Conversion metrics: How many customers complete an order after viewing your menu
Operational performance: Your online availability rate, acceptance rate, average acceptance, order packaging, and courier wait time
Store rating: your store’s customer rating on the app
Distance from the customer
Preference data from regular customers
You can’t control everything on this list. But as we’ve discussed, it may be worth putting extra resources into improving your operational performance, customer satisfaction, and conversion rate.
Process more orders faster & improve your ranking with delivery automation
A lot goes into improving your ranking on delivery platforms, but the good news is that it helps your general business performance and improves your customer relationships. So, ultimately, it’s a win-win situation.
Anything that can shorten the time between orders, improve accuracy, and make your staff happier will contribute to happier customers, better reviews, and a better ranking on the delivery platforms you use.
Deliverect’s order management platform, key integrations with delivery partners, and store POS and ERP software help you process orders faster with fewer mistakes. Convenience stores and FMCG brands stand to benefit from Deliverect’s powerful automation of key processes.
Ready to get started?
Get in touch with us to discuss the particular details of your organization and set up a free guided demo to see Deliverect in action.