Three factors to consider before offering bakery delivery
Running a bakery can be a rewarding experience, especially if you’ve had great success in doing so. With this success, though, you might begin to wish for growth. This might not mean opening another bakery in a different location; instead, you might be considering if delivery is an option.
Delivering baked goods can be a tough task. There is very little room for error when a delayed delivery could end with goods that are in no condition to be sold. This means that there is a lot to think about before moving forward with this addition to your business, and that’s exactly what this post aims to help with.
In this article, you will find three factors that you must think about before you finalize your decision to offer delivery. These factors will relate to the menu you will deliver, the areas you will deliver to, and whether you will outsource fulfillment to an expert in this industry. To learn more, read below.
1) What you will deliver
Even if your in-store menu isn’t sizeable, you might want to consider what items you will include in your delivery menu. Customers will often try to push their luck when given the opportunity, so it is best to remove any items that require too much time or are too tricky to deliver.
This means that large bakes, like tiered custom cakes, or quick-to-perish goods, like ice cream, should be removed as options online. You should also look at what products have the longest expiry date; these are good contenders for delivery, especially if you are outsourcing fulfillment.
Once you have cut down on what items are available for delivery, you should also look at the listed options. Your bakery might offer some baked goods with or without toppings, such as frosting or sprinkles.
Although this might be rarely discussed in-store, online customers could end up sending emails after ordering to amend their orders, and this can result in various issues, especially if you use a third-party delivery service. To avoid this, it is best to make clear what additional options are available and use a dropdown menu or similar to let customers select their preferences.
2) Where you will deliver
After trimming down the delivery menu, you must then think about the areas where you will offer delivery. The thought of growing your business might push you to offer delivery as far as you possibly can, but this can cause the quality of your goods to decline. A longer journey might cause cakes to dry out or chocolate to melt, and there is a bigger risk of damage, too. Start small with the area you will deliver to; this can always be expanded at a later date.
But when you are looking at this, you might as well also think about the delivery hours you will offer. This should not be outside the opening hours of your bakery as this can quickly eat into your spare time and cause you to burn out. Some bakeries only offer deliveries within a short window, but this will depend on whether or not you wish to outsource fulfillment, as discussed in the next point.
3) In-house or outsource
Possibly the largest decision when offering delivery is whether you will do this in-house or if you will find a fulfillment partner. Both have their positives and negatives, and these should be weighed before choosing. To begin with, look at the benefits of in-house deliveries. This will often ensure products remain fresh and of a high quality. It could also offer better control over the customer experience.
However, if you choose to outsource food and beverage fulfillment, then you might consider a company like Kase. This type of service understands the struggles that can occur when shipping baked goods, and it works with businesses to create solutions that will grow as your business does. It is vital that your chosen fulfillment partner tracks inventory accurately to ensure no expired products are sitting on shelves and complies with FDA regulations.
Although it might seem like a farfetched idea to partner with a third-party business, it can help your bakery delivery products in a much more effective manner as well as meet the needs of your customers.
Ready to expand your bakery business into the world of delivery?
To conclude, there is a lot to think about when you want to expand your bakery business into the world of delivery. It is important to look into the items you will deliver, where you will deliver them, and whether you will do so in-house or by partnering with a food and beverage fulfillment company.
