With another round of lockdowns looming from a second wave of the coronavirus, some businesses are closing their doors permanently, while other small, independent businesses are making the shift to local home delivery to survive.
For any business owner who’s making the shift to local home delivery to keep their business afloat, bravo! But if you’re going to play in the new home delivery economy, play to WIN.
On a practical note, brick and mortar businesses that make the shift to a home delivery business will help generate crucial revenue…but this also will generate more expenses from operating a fleet. These new or heightened expenses will include fuel costs, mileage-related vehicle expenses like oil changes and tire replacement, labor costs for drivers, and more.
If your business is making the shift to local home delivery to survive this pandemic, you must deploy easy-to-use route planning software to keep your delivery costs low enough that you can maintain your margins, make a profit, and live to do business another day.
The number one way to keep your home delivery costs under control is to deploy affordable route planning software tools like RouteSavvy. This $300 a year investment will save thousands of precious dollars and make local home delivery of your products more affordable, and literally help save your business. Access this link for more information on RouteSavvy’s return on investment.
Why Should Small, Independent Businesses Make The Shift To Local Home Delivery: More Lockdowns Are Coming
In September 2020, the New York Times and other national media outlets published news stories with headlines like: “Small Business Failures Loom As Federal Aid Dries Up.” These articles refer to the fact that government aid for small businesses to shore up the economy has either run out, or is no longer being offered. Some businesses only made it through because of offerings like the Paycheck Protection Program.
As the colder fall weather drives people indoors, epidemiologists are warning that this will likely to bring a resurgence of virus infections that lead to lockdowns worldwide. Bloomberg News has already reported that the U.K., France & Italy have reported the highest number of infections since the pandemic started. The Netherlands already has initiated a partial lockdown.
So, what’s a business teetering on the edge to do if more lockdowns occur, and government aid is not forthcoming?
There are two options:
- Close your doors permanently,
OR - Change your business model to home delivery, develop a stronger website that highlights your offerings, proactively market those offerings, and then deliver them to your customer’s doorstep.
How Does A Business Shift to Local Home Delivery For Its Customers?
Shifting a brick and mortar business to local home delivery requires organization and the right technology to make the delivery process efficient for customers and cost-effective for your business. To help brick and mortar businesses shift to home delivery to save their businesses, the makers of RouteSavvy put together a 10-step Pandemic Business Survival Guide: How To Save Your Business with Home Delivery.
Please access this handy guide for a step-by-step plan to shift your business model to home delivery. For any business turning to home delivery to save the business, be sure you deploy a route planning software tool like RouteSavvy. It’s easy-to-use software that requires an internet connection and a computer. Just log into your RouteSavvy account, plug in the day’s delivery addresses, and let RouteSavvy generate the most efficient route – which literally reduces the miles driven to get the deliveries done each day, at the lowest possible cost.
By using route planning software, businesses embarking on home delivery of their products will achieve the following benefits:
- Save money of fuel costs
- Save money on oil changes and tire replacement
- Generate additional revenue by being able to shoehorn in more deliveries in the course of a week
What’s more, RouteSavvy users get a free, one-on-one session with a friendly, US-based customer support specialist who will teach you how to use RouteSavvy!
A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses reported that 21% of small businesses would have to permanently close if business conditions don’t improve within the next 6 months.
But if business conditions don’t improve and more lockdowns occur, there’s still opportunity – by shifting your business model to local home delivery. People stuck at home will be looking for food, supplies, personal products, and unique holiday gifts. If you choose that course of action, let RouteSavvy reduce your delivery costs so the shift in business model helps your business survive.
Interested in taking RouteSavvy for a test drive? Try our Free, 14-day Trial.
