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How Home Delivery Services Have Changed Shopping Behaviors And Brand Loyalties

0aaJeff Scott Infinite Peripherals

Home delivery is shaping the way businesses connect with their customers. Thanks to Amazon, the seismic shift in customer expectation and buying habits is not only felt throughout retail, but has even spawned new delivery-focused companies in other sectors such as Postmates and DoorDash.  

Amazon became a revenue machine on the e-Commerce front primarily because of its Prime subscriptions that offer two-day shipping. Prime memberships have become a hallmark of the internet giant — exceeding 100 million paid Prime members globally despite losing vast sums of money on shipping.

Amazon’s willingness to experiment with technology and innovation, including physical stores and same-day shipping, is hyper focused on creating a convenient, quick and accurate experience for its customers. It is not the purchases themselves that build brand loyalty, but the Amazon experience that keeps customers returning.

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As consumers grow accustomed to breakneck delivery speeds as the new norm, retailers are expected to follow suit. If they fail to modernize their operations, they will lose to the store that can deliver faster. Previous notions of brand loyalty only go so far, as today’s consumer is most loyal to the idea of convenience.  

Although companies must harness innovation, data and technology in order to build a seamless experience, there are many roads to get creative and intentional when growing brand loyalty. Luckily, businesses no longer have to spend excess time convincing their customers to try new offers and services.

From Millennials to baby boomers, generations across the board have become increasingly open to adopting mobile technologies. As 78.9% of U.S. Internet users prefer home delivery as their default delivery option, they are more willing to trial a home delivery experience with the safety net of discontinuing if the experience does not meet expectations. This willingness and even expectation toward innovation offers retailers the opportunity to reinforce their intended brand experience from a trial, use, adoption and eventually establishing long-term loyalty.

Implementing home delivery is imperative to businesses today, but it must also take a holistic approach. Brick-and-mortar retail stores still thrive in today’s e-Commerce environment and can continue to do so with the right plan and amenities. For example, businesses can explore merging channels (online, in-store, mobile) to create even more ways to shop and delight. By adopting an omnichannel approach, companies can build engagement with extended options for digital purchases, such as in-store returns and free ship-to-store options.

Home delivery by itself can be impersonal and lack a genuine human connection; thus it must appropriately tie into other channels and incorporate a brand’s overall vision. Integrating every aspect of the buyer’s journey will allow brands to create personalization, build community and benefit from all of the facets of brand loyalty, such as repeat purchases, referrals and high online ratings.

Finally, the proper strategy and mobile technologies must reinforce a well-rounded, omnichannel approach to the new wave of shopping behaviors. Luckily, next-generation mobile hardware and software solutions proliferate daily, offering businesses more tools and opportunities to customize their strategy. From a comprehensive overview of home delivery logistics to an expedited in-store shopping experience, mobility equips businesses with the proper foundation to integrate their separate channels and truly deliver a delightful experience for consumers, right to their homes.


 

Jeff Scott is the CEO of Infinite Peripherals, a company delivering scalable and customized mobility solutions to a range of industries. Innovative, humble and a pioneer in mobile solutions and technology, Scott has helped some of the leading brands in the U.S. since founding Infinite Peripherals in 1993. His focus at the company has been playing any role that’s needed to understand client challenges and then help them become more efficient when transacting business with their customers. The lengthy roster includes T-Mobile, The United States Postal Service and Mayo Clinic, among others. His most significant innovation occurred when Infinite Peripherals became the very first company to develop an enterprise-based product for the Apple product line. The success of the Apple partnership has helped propel Infinite Peripherals into one of the leading providers of enterprise solutions — with more than one million solutions deployed. Before founding Infinite Peripherals, Scott received his BS in Entrepreneurship from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

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