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Yes, your business should be offering deliveries after the lockdown

The inability to move about freely has highlighted not only the need for deliveries, but the importance of that offering as well.

Whether you are self-isolating or a person who is unable to travel for myriad reasons, couriers are increasingly becoming the most essential workers in businesses.

According to head of fleet management at the Standard Bank Group, Derick de Vries, the trend of South Africans shopping from home is not going to stop and our behaviour as consumers is changing drastically.

“The impact of the virus is shaping consumer behaviour and we are witnessing a significant increase in e-commerce activity and demand for home delivery,” says de Vries.

The Standard Bank fleet management head says that businesses will have to gear up to deliver not only for the period of an extended lockdown but for the future as well.

Let’s be frank, COVID-19 is not running on a clock, it doesn’t matter if we say lockdown ends on such-and-such a date because what actually determines that end date is the virus, how it is spreading and the risk of infection for the majority of people.

As such, businesses should be preparing for not only regulatory restrictions, but for consumers to be hesitant to head into densely populated areas.

“The new normal is digital, the events of the last month have proved this. For businesses to remain viable going forward, they will need an online extension of their business, where consumers can view and purchase products, and a fleet of vehicles to carry out deliveries. These systems, which some companies may already have in place, should then be adapted for the current environment,” advises de Vries.

Government has noted that it will gradually allow industries to open up. The key word there being gradual. We don’t foresee a widespread lifting of restrictions that could potentially undo all the work done to mitigate the spread. As such, firms should be looking at how to adapt in a restricted world, when they are allowed to reopen.

Of course, adding deliveries to your service offering is by no means a simple thing. Vehicles, drivers, fleet management, fuel, hygiene precautions and more are considerations that must be made before implementing solutions.

This requires some work on the part of the business and is by no means an overnight project. There are thankfully solutions that allow businesses to offer delivery. For the smaller businesses Bolt Business is available, as is the newly launched Uber Direct service.

The message is clear, however, businesses should be exploring how deliveries can help them stay afloat both during and after national lockdowns.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]

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