‘Life’s unpredictable’ was an understatement until COVID-19 happened and flipped the entire global community into isolation. CoronaVirus introduced us to strange times. Who thought masks would become a constant part of our lives. A fashion accessory, I’d say!

When was the last time you had a hair-cut at a salon? Mine was...wait! I don’t even remember!

I would’ve brushed off or probably would’ve laughed on the idea of more than 4 billion people isolating themselves because of one tiny little virus. But here we are, working from home, watching baking stories on Instagram, and challenge videos on Facebook!

Well, whatever it takes to keep us entertained.

But one good thing that began while we were still fighting the global pandemic is ‘Contactless Delivery’. Businesses need proactive methods to survive this post lockdown era. And to keep the businesses running while following the newly laid norms of social-distancing, contactless deliveries are winning the market.

With e-commerce all set to re-open and start their services in selective areas, they must adhere strictly to the set standards of hygiene. A timely measure to safeguard millions of lives around the world. 

What is Contactless delivery?

Supply chains, food aggregators, grocery store owners, restaurants, pharmacies in fact  small general stores are keeping their businesses running with the novel innovation called ‘Contactless’ deliveries. 

This is safe, secure, and convenient for both, the retailer and the shopper. If you are a business owner and have not yet switched from traditional delivery methods, you’ll be left behind. With better hygiene and sanitation methods you can easily win over the market. 

The virus has caused some serious damage to the global community with over 7 million reported cases and more than 400,000 fatalities. Lockdowns, social-distancing measures, and other restrictions have helped in preventing millions of possible cases. People are rigorously practicing self-isolation every day, and the need for contactless home delivery has increased. Companies struggling to survive must quickly find ways and means to meet new expectations of their customers and grow their services amidst the pandemic. Contactless service can be strengthened when a bond of trust is formed between the business owners, the workers and the consumers. This can be strengthened by following some simple set of hygiene steps. 

Key pointers to practice contactless delivery:

• Routine screening of all factory staff
• Provision of personal security equipment (PPEs) to every member of the staff
• Frequent sanitization of the factory/restaurant/warehouse/store
• By providing sufficient breaks in between the day to ensure daily sanitation in workplaces and warehouses
• An emergency number connected to hospitals directly. 
• Keeping a record of all visitors

The true effect of the contactless distribution of goods and services will be understood if it is carried out faithfully by the people concerned. This includes routine cleaning of stores, the staff involved, packaged goods and delivery personnel. Providing PPE such as gloves and hand sanitizers, will go a long way to ensure safety.

This global pandemic has made people rethink and re-evaluate their choices when it comes to buying anything. Zomato, quite recently launched the concept of ‘contactless dining’. This would eliminate consumer contact with the food outlets and restaurants even when they are eating out.
Amidst the coronavirus situation, Domino’s introduced ‘Zero Contact Delivery’ across its 1,325 food chains in India. All you have to do is select the ‘Zero Contact Delivery’ option while placing your order. Swiggy trained its delivery partners to closely follow every safety measure while delivering orders. Not just in India, U.S. startups, including Postmates and Instacart, also added the option for their customers where they can receive their meals through a courier, avoiding human contact. The delivery team needs to take care of themselves and their customers.

It is, but sure that life post the COVID-19 situation will not be the same. How we shop has changed, completely.  E-commerce experts have predicted a huge spike in online deliveries for food, groceries and all things essential. While people had taken to buying fashion and other goods online, grocery and alcohol delivery was chugging along. It is expected to follow the pace. Britannia has signed up with Dunzo for doorstep deliveries of a wide range of products like biscuits, ghee and dairy products. ITC, meanwhile, has collaborated with Domino’s Pizza app to deliver food products.

The business model of grocery will change. This will transform markets within the hyperlocal zones. Even the general (kiryana) stores are opting for contactless deliveries. Existing players are developing and growing by collaborating with new partners and jumping onto the online platforms. 

Key Takeaways

Business models are changing. Deliveries are changing. Consumer behavior is changing. Every business owner needs to step out of their traditional marketing and delivery techniques and follow up with the current scenarios. ‘Contactless’ delivery is the need of the hour. Not just the existing business owners, in the On-demand delivery segment, entrepreneurs need to come up with innovative ideas for their startups to stay in sync with the demand. In the end, just one thing to remember:

Not to drop guards until the pandemic is over!