We have all been in the lockdown for quite a long time now. We cannot thank coronavirus for putting us in the situation. The aviation industry has come to a standstill. The tourism industry does not know when things would normalise.
More or less, every other industry has been swept by the hard-hitting waves of COVID-19. One of the crucial industry having to pay a high price of the pandemic is the logistics industry.
Disruption of the supply chain and the limited movement of vehicles have brought in significant challenges to the overall landscape, including problems with delivery services.
If there is one thing that is giving us all hope for the recovery of businesses and eventually the economy, it is digitalisation. It has been like a boon amidst the temporary remedy of ‘Social Distancing’. Today, every other business is dependent on logistics—on-demand cab services, on-demand grocery, on-demand food delivery, and many others.
Let us understand in detail the impact of coronavirus on different industries and the practical technological solution to it.
Impact of coronavirus on food delivery industry
According to a report issued by Business Today, top food delivery businesses have witnessed a drop in the number of orders by a whopping 60%. However, more than that the restaurants have suffered. They have no income from the dine-in option, due to the stringent police action conducted on people coming out of their houses.
Shortage of staffs and supply goods are further barricading the flow of potential revenue. Many households demand on the online delivery system for their food, in these gloomy times. Taking a cue from the opportunity, many people have initiated the home-food services. However, that is only limited to a certain locality.
Besides this, the government’s approach to supporting the economy by raising the fuel prices are being felt by the food delivery industry. Though the roads are devoid of traffic, there are still challenges regarding the blocked roads, which makes the food delivery man take the longest route.
If we let the technology intervene in the process, the food industry may witness the boom. For instance, the need of the hour is to work on a limited budget, as the demand as gone down.
In such a scenario, integration of a last-mile delivery software can help determine the shortest possible route to the source and the destination. This way, the overall fuel consumed in a month can be brought down.
In addition to this, the demand for pickup and delivery services has increased significantly in the lockdown period. People sell home-made cakes, food, bakery items, and others, while small-scale grocery stores find it easier to get their products to a large mass.
Read More: Challenges in starting a food-delivery solution and how can you solve it?
Be it any kind of here-to-there transfer of goods, there is a significant opportunity with the pickup and delivery services. A last-mile delivery software can help cater to the demand from multiple localities, thereby extending the frontiers of a food-delivery business.
This is especially when Zomato, Swiggy, and other businesses are dependent on the restaurant to serve food, while an independent last-mile delivery business can source the deliverables from households.
Will courier be affected by coronavirus?
Let’s talk about the biggest eCommerce player here. A large portion of the Amazon’s sellers resides in China, which is nearly 70%, as per a source. Since the mid of March, Amazon sellers have not witnessed any shipment request for non-essential goods.
On top of that, the limited movement of goods, curfews, and other restrictions have prevented manufacturers from the supply of goods to overseas customers.
Some of the other findings from the Amazon sales says:
- 36% of the sellers are witnessing a slump in their sales
- 11% of the sellers have increased the prices of their products to win what they are losing
- 50% of the sellers are looking out for other manufacturers to keep their supply chain intact.
Analysing these factors, one thing is clear—courier business is severely affected by the pandemic. However, this is creating local opportunities for the markets. As the lockdown is being lifted in some parts of the world, due to containment of the virus, new manufacturers would get an opportunity to market their products.
Though the penetration of the product at a global level is still a distant dream, there is an opportunity for the local infiltration of goods using logistics delivery software. Logistics, in itself, is a vast arena, with staff management, supply chain management, delivery management, etc.
However, automation of the processes can help increase productivity, while complying to the norms of social distancing and limited workforces.
Real-time delivery tracking software can help you get a bird’s eye view of what’s the on-road situation, and the data can be used to boost the operational efficiency further.
Read More: Challenges & Solution for running a successful courier business
What can you do with a delivery routing software?
Given the blurred picture of lifestyle coming to normalcy, it is imperative that we find an alternative to all the essential requirements. Businesses are witnessing a loss, and coronavirus is estimated to eat up many jobs.
In such a scenario, taking a leap towards a sustainable future would mean exploring business opportunities that are based on real demands.
A retail delivery app has the potential to revamp the face of the existing systems. No matter what nature of good—grocery, medicines, food, couriers, etc.—demand for the exchange of products is a never-ceasing one.
On-demand delivery management software can help cater to multiple requests and, in turn, smoothen the creases formed on the logistics business by the coronavirus.
Last-mile delivery software for the logistics business is proving to be a game-changer, while other businesses are at rest. It is, in turn, improving the last-mile customer experience through no-contact deliveries. Effective management and speedy delivery can be achieved with the logistics optimisation software.
Sitting at home and doing a profitable business can be turned into a reality with the last-mile delivery application.
Read More: How Route Optimization Enhances Last Mile Delivery Operations
Conclusion
As of writing, we do not have a successful vaccination for coronavirus yet. The impact of coronavirus would be there for at least some time down the line. Meanwhile, the inflation rate would grow, as businesses would look at recovering the losses. All this while, the demand for essential services would remain as is.
Integration of a last-mile delivery system serves as an opportunity to make it big during the gloomy times. Start with a single niche—for instance, food delivery. Test the market and then move to the other essential niche.
All-in-all, we do not know when technology would take a front-seat to eradicate coronavirus. However, last-mile delivery solutions can help us control the impact of COVID-19 on the logistics business. It would make effective management possible even with limited resources.
